


Missing

by Skater2



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-02-20 19:18:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 77
Words: 47,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2439890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skater2/pseuds/Skater2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An elegant dinner with Rossi turns into a romantic dinner with Reid which turns into everyone’s worst nightmare as the team’s plane disappears.  While Emma works with Reid and Rossi to locate the plane and their missing team members, she begins to question whether Reid will ever recover from the trauma of losing Maeve.</p><p>Sequel to "Sins of the Fathers", "Do You See What I See?", and "The Con"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

It was the middle of the night when two jet skis crossed the small lake just outside of Reno, Nevada. When they reached the shore, the passengers got off and, with practiced movements, sank the skis in the lake. Stealthily, they crossed the field in front of them and proceeded onto the tarmac of the small, private airfield. The government jet was sitting there, apparently unattended. After carefully circling the plane, checking to make sure no one was in it, the two men returned to the field where they concealed themselves under some bushes and prepared to wait.

Several hours later, as the sun was rising, two pilots approached the plane. After unlocking the cockpit door, they climbed in and begin their preparations for take off. As they concentrated on the instrument panels, they didn’t notice the movement in the field to the right of them. The two masked men quickly approached the plane and swung themselves into the cockpit. They quickly overcame the two pilots, efficiently strangling them with their bare hands. One body they put in the small restroom and locked the door, while the other they stashed in the aft overhead bin. The two intruders then begin carefully going over the instrument panels.


	2. Chapter 2

It was early Friday morning in Reno, Nevada, and Hotch’s team was gathering in the lobby of the local police station. They had successfully completed their case the previous evening, and now everyone was anxious to get back to Quantico. As they stood quietly talking with the local officers, Hotch looked around and verified that the entire team was present.

“Okay, everybody is here,” Hotch announced. “Let’s head out to the airstrip and then back to Quantico. I know you all have things you need to complete before you can enjoy your weekend.”

“If you don’t mind, Reid and I won’t be joining you,” Rossi spoke up.

“Oh?” Hotch questioned.

“We are planning on driving to Las Vegas instead,” Reid explained. “Without any stops, it’s only a 7 hour and 14 minute trip. I want to visit my mom, and Rossi’s publisher has arranged a book signing.”

“He may not be planning on stopping, but I definitely plan on making at least one stop,” Rossi informed the group with a smile.

“Paperwork?” Hotch questioned.

“Completed and submitted on line last night,” Reid declared cheerfully. “Garcia helped me and verified that it had arrived.”

“Me, too,” Rossi smiled at their team leader.

“You will both be taking some vacation time, then?” Hotch verified.

“We’ll each be taking a week,” Rossi clarified. “The paperwork has already been submitted to Chief Cruz via the internet.”

“Okay, there shouldn’t be any problem then,” Hotch accepted their explanation. “I guess we’ll see the two of you in Quantico in a week.”

“Enjoy your trip,” Blake smiled at the two agents.

“Say ‘Hi’ to Emma for me,” JJ added.

“Enjoy Las Vegas!” Morgan’s grin left no doubt of what he thought they had planned.


	3. Chapter 3

The flight back to Quantico began as usual, with the team’s jet taking off and quickly reaching cruising altitude. Everyone soon settled in for the flight home with Hotch loosening his tie, reaching into his attaché and retrieving some of his endless paperwork. Blake took out a crossword puzzle book and began working in it, while JJ attacked some paperwork having to do with Henry’s next semester at pre-school. Morgan watched his teammates for several minutes and then stood up and headed to the restroom. After some initial resistance, he finally managed to pick the lock and open the door. After glancing in, he speedily closed the door and returned to his seat across from Hotch.

“Hotch,” Morgan’s usually steady voice sounded shaky. “Did you get a good look at the crew when we came on board?”

Hotch looked up curiously. “I said ‘Hi’, but I didn’t really take a good look. Why?”

Morgan took a deep breath before replying. “Because, one of them is in the restroom – Dead.”

“Morgan, are you sure?” JJ had overhead their conversation.

“Yeah,” Morgan told her. “I know dead, and that guy is dead!”

“Then, who is flying the plane?” Blake wanted to know.

Hotch looked around, got out his cell phone, and dialed. After looking at it and then shaking it, he glanced around at the others.

“I can’t get any service,” he told them. “Open one of the laptops and try the internet.”

JJ opened up her laptop and began playing with it. After several tries, she announced. “I can’t get anything here, either.”

“Okay,” Hotch announced. “That leaves us with one option.”

He pulled out his weapon and looked over at Morgan. “Come with me and let’s see what’s going on in the cockpit,” he told him. “Blake and JJ, stand back as reinforcements.”

As everyone began moving forward, the plane began to wobble and, as the four agents staggered to catch their balance, the intercom came to life.

“Agents,” a hollow-sounding voice sounded in the cabin. “Please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts. We are preparing to land. Despite what you may think, we don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Who are you? Where are you taking us we? What do you want?” Hotch glanced at the other members of his team as he spoke.

“You will be informed of that at the proper time,” the voice spoke. “Please prepare to land.” The intercom switched off.

Blake looked out her window. “Well, from the feel of the plane, we are losing altitude,” she observed.

“We had better prepare for a landing,” JJ suggested.

As everyone took their seats and fastened their seatbelts, they all wondered what their unknown captors had in store for them.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

The interior of the BAU jet hadn’t changed. However, as Hotch, Morgan, JJ, and Blake sat there, alternately looking at each other and then out the windows, it seemed to grow smaller, darker, and more sinister by the minute.

“How long were we in the air?” it was Morgan who broke the silence as the plane continued its descent.

Blake looked at her watch. “From my estimate, approximately 55 minutes,” she replied.

“All right, after taking off from Reno, and traveling at approximately how many miles per hour - that would put us approximately where?” JJ asked.

“We should be able to figure this out,” Morgan commented. “Reno is in Nevada, but is also close to the California boarder.”

“How far are we from Arizona?” JJ asked.

“Too far for 55 minutes, I would think,” Hotch contributed.

“What about Oregon? And, Idaho,” Blake questioned. “We were within range of both of those states.”

“So, we could be in any one of four states,” Morgan concluded.

JJ sadly shook her head. “Where is Spence when we need him?”

“Judging from the sun, I think we have been flying in a generally easterly direction,” Blake contributed.

“Okay, that rules out California and Arizona,” Hotch said. “And, it most likely puts us still in Nevada.”

“But where in Nevada?” JJ questioned.

As the plane landed, bounced several times, and came to an abrupt stop, all they could see out the windows was rocky foothills covered by scrub bush.

“Okay,” Hotch went into profiler mode. “We can probably assume we have been hijacked. What can we deduce about our hijackers?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends - I hope you are thoroughly enjoying your holiday!!

With Rossi behind the wheel, he and Reid made good time on their drive to Las Vegas. When they arrived, Rossi first dropped Reid off at the front door of Bennington Sanitarium to visit his mother and then headed over to The Strip, to the ice cream stand where Emma worked part-time.

“Okay, who is the lucky owner of this lovely ice cream cone I have just concocted?” Emma was standing behind the counter with a multi-colored stack of ice cream balanced on a cone in her hand.

“Here!” a man waved a bill at her.

“Lucky you!” Emma told him as she exchanged the cone for the bill. “You are going to love this!”

“I would rather love you!” the man returned suggestively. “Tonight?”

“Sorry – Already taken,” Emma told him with a smile. “Better luck next time!” She reached over to hand him his change.

“Keep the change – I’ll be back tomorrow!” the man promised as he walked away.

“Dave!” Emma noticed him standing there watching the exchange. “Hello! I was so glad to get your text!”

“So, this is where you’re working these days?” Rossi inquired as he casually moved closer to the counter and looked around at the stand.

“Just part-time,” Emma told him. “I have my day job at the lab, but there are still some student loans and things I have to pay off. Besides, I kind of like being between people like this.”

“I assume you can get the evening off?” Rossi inquired archly.

“Even if I couldn’t, I would take it off just for you,” Emma bantered back. “What do you have in mind?”

Rossi smiled at the attractive young woman. “That depends on you,” he told her. “What have you always wanted to do here in Vegas?”

Emma thought for a minute and then laughed. “This is going to sound crazy because I have lived here all my life, but I would like to see the Bellagio fountains after dark,” she told him.

“You’ve never seen them?” Rossi was surprised by her admission.

“I’ve seen them in the late afternoon but not at night,” Emma clarified. “I’ve always worked a second job in the evening and when I got off I was generally too tired to go down to The Strip. Or, I had studying that needed to be done. I’ve never had the time or the energy.”

“Okay. I am sure I can handle that,” Rossi sounded delighted.

“And, if it’s not too much trouble,” Emma continued. “Could we walk through the conservatory afterwards? Again, I’ve never seen it at night and I understand the lighting makes it dramatically different than during the day.”

“I think I can handle that, too,” Rossi assured her.

“Really?” Emma questioned, surprised.

“Just leave it to me,” Rossi exuded confidence. “I’ll pick you up at seven, and don’t eat. I’m taking you out for something other than ice cream cones and pizza.”

“Dave – You don’t have to,” Emma protested. “Just seeing you again will be great!”

“I know that I don’t have to - I want to,” Rossi assured her. “And, wear something pretty. I’m tired of seeing you in jeans all the time.” He glared at her current attire.

Emma laughed. “Dave, I don’t think I even own a dress,” she confessed. “I never wear them.”

“I can handle that, too,” Rossi told her. “Remember, Seven!”

As he walked away, Rossi paused for a moment to think. Slowly, he turned to look back at the area to the left of the ice cream stand. Seeing no one there, he resumed walking back to his rental car. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling -


	5. Chapter 5

Early evening found Rossi and Emma walking through the Bellagio hotel lobby after having left Rossi’s rental car with the parking valet. Rossi was wearing what was obviously a custom-tailored Italian suit while Emma was in a classic ‘little black dress’, with modest heels.

“Dave, I really shouldn’t be wearing this dress,” Emma was protesting for the third time. “I told you, I can’t accept it!”

“Let me worry about that,” Rossi told her. “This evening I want to be seen with a beautiful young lady.”

“If that’s the case, let me call my friend Jillian,” Emma replied cheekily.

“I meant you,” Rossi told her sternly. “Now, let’s just sit down, have a nice dinner, and talk.”

He took a better look at her. “You’re not wearing your wedding ring,” he observed. 

Emma automatically reached as if for a chain around her neck. “No,” she admitted. “And, I’m having a hard adjusting to not having it on all the time.”

“You’ve given up?” Rossi questioned softly.

“I don’t know,” Emma confessed sadly. “All I know is that it is time for me to get on with my life. And, if it doesn’t include Spencer, it doesn’t include Spencer.”

They had reached the Maître de’s station of the hotel’s gourmet restaurant and as Emma stared, star struck, at the sumptuous surroundings, Rossi smiled at the dignified man behind the reservations desk.

“Reservation for Rossi,” he told him.

“Of course, Mr. Rossi,” the man intoned as he located Dave’s name on the list. He eyes widened as he read the notation and then he looked up with an understated smile. “If you will follow me, please.”

The Maître de led the couple to a table by the windows overlooking the fountains and pulled out a chair to seat Emma.

“Oh My Gosh!” Emma looked out the window as she took the offered chair. “I always heard these tables existed – “

Rossi smiled confidently. “You wanted to see the fountains at night,” he reminded her. “This way we can see them, hear the music, and have a nice dinner all at the same time.”

He turned to the Maître de. “Will you send the Wine Stewart over?” he requested.

“Dave, don’t order a whole bottle,” Emma protested after the Maître de had left. “If I drink more than one glass, I fall asleep.”

“Relax and let me worry about everything, okay?” Rossi told her. “You just sit back and enjoy the meal.”

“Okay,” Emma agreed. “You do know that this is my first real date,” she added, shyly.

“Your first date?” Rossi repeated in amazement.

“Dave, I was married at 14 and married women don’t go on dates with men other than their husbands,” Emma told him seriously. “And, seeing as my husband wasn’t around, that meant that I didn’t go on any dates.”

“You are still married,” Rossi reminded her.

“I consider myself to be separated,” Emma replied. “And that is another category all together.”

Rossi looked at her thoughtfully.

The Wine Stewart silently appeared and handed Rossi a sizeable leather bound wine list, which he began studying intently as the Wine Stewart stood in respectful attendance.

He looked up at Emma. “What kind of wine do you like?” he inquired.

“I don’t really know,” she told him. “I don’t have a lot of experience - Cheap?”

Rossi pointed at the list. “This one,” he proclaimed.

“Very good, Sir,” the wine steward agreed before hurrying off.

As they waited for the arrival of the wine, Rossi and Emma began studying the voluminous menus which had been left for them. 

“What looks good?” Rossi glanced up at Emma, who was intently studying the pages in front of her.

“Everything!” she enthused. “This is incredible! I’ve never seen anything like this before! Maybe I’ll just have an appetizer and a dessert. That desert cart we passed when we came in looked unbelievable!”

“I bet nothing on it will taste as good as the brownies you made with my father,” Reid’s voice sounded from next to her.

As Emma looked up, she saw Rossi disappearing through the restaurant’s door.


	6. Chapter 6

“Spencer? Where’s Dave going? What’s going on?” Emma sounded panicky as she looked around.

“Dave thought we need to talk,” Reid told her as he gingerly took the seat Rossi had vacated.

“He’s right,” Emma agreed. “We do need to talk. But first, turn off your cell phone and give it to me. I’m putting it in my purse.”

“What?” Reid questioned.

“Spencer, every time we try to talk, you get a call and off you go,” Emma told him. “Don’t worry. I’ll give it back to you when we’re done.” She held out her hand.

“What if – ” Reid began.

“Dave told me that your team is on stand down for the weekend,” Emma pronounced. “I assume that includes you?”

Reid reset some defaults on his cell phone and then reluctantly handed it over to Emma, who put it in her purse.

“Thank you,” she told him. “I’ll take good care of it. Now, I want you to reach across the table, take my hand, and look into my eyes.”

She extended her hand half-way across the table and Reid hesitated for a moment before taking it.

“Okay?” he asked.

Emma took a deep breath. “Now, Spencer, I want you to tell me why you had to have Dave set this up,” she told him. “Why couldn’t you just knock on my door, walk in, and talk to me?”

“I didn’t know about this either – Not until about 87 minutes and 14 seconds ago,” Reid protested. “That’s when Rossi called me on my cell, told me he had this set up, and read me the riot act about what would happen to me if I didn’t show up. I know I’m not good with girls – I never know what to do or say. So, I went along with him and here I am.”

“Spencer – It’s me!” Emma protested. “I know that we don’t have a conventional marriage and that we are both working on deciding what we want. And, I also know that you still think about Maeve a lot. However, I thought we had at least learned to trust each other.”

The Wine Steward appeared, bearing a dusty bottle, which he presented to Reid, who gave Emma a puzzled look.

“Dave ordered it before he left,” she explained. “We may as well try it.”

“Okay,” Reid began examining the label on the bottle. "Italian, of course," he commented before nodding his acceptance to the Wine Steward.

With a flourish of his corkscrew, the Wine Steward soon had the bottle opened and was presenting the cork to Red for his examination. After making certain that the cork hadn’t dried out, Reid accepted a sample of the wine.

“Very good,” he pronounced as he handed the sample to Emma.

She smiled, accepted it, and took an experimental sip.

“Very good,” she agreed as the Wine Stewart filled glasses for both her and Reid to enjoy.

Reid held up his glass. “I believe it is customary to drink to something,” he suggested. “You look very nice, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Emma blushed. “Dave kept insisting I get dressed up. When I told him I don’t own a dress, he sent this over. I honestly had no idea I was being set up, I just assumed he was fussing.”

"Then, let’s drink to being played,” Reid pronounced as they clinked their glasses together.

As they were enjoying the wine, another waiter approached their table carrying an envelope. “Dr. Reid?” he inquired.

“Yes?” Reid was faced with yet another puzzle.

“I was asked to give this to you,” the waiter replied handing over the envelope and then leaving.

Reid opened the envelope and read the contents. A small smile snuck onto his face.

“What is it?” Emma inquired.

“It appears my father also had a hand in planning this evening,” Reid revealed, holding up a room key card. “He reserved a suite in the hotel for us for the night.”

“I have never been in one of their rooms, let alone a suite!” Emma exclaimed.

“So – You want to?” Reid questioned hesitantly.

“We can talk there as well as any other place,” Emma observed. “And, I hate to see a perfectly good room go to waste.”


	7. Chapter 7

As Reid and Emma began perusing their menus and discussing which dishes they would like to try, Rossi burst through the door of the restaurant and hurried over to their table.

“I really hate to do this, but I need to interrupt your dinner,” he told them.

“Dave, we haven’t gotten to dinner yet,” Emma suppressed a deep sigh.

“Dave, what’s wrong?” Reid recognized the look on the senior agent’s face.

“I just spoke with Cruz,” Rossi blurted out. “The team’s plane has disappeared!”

“What?” Reid demanded.

“Disappeared?” Emma questioned. “Dave, a plane doesn’t just disappear!”

“Well, this one did,” Rossi told her. “According to Cruz, it was on the radar one minute and gone the next.”

“An explosion?” Reid went with the most obvious explanation.

“The FAA doesn’t seem to think so,” Rossi told him. “And, they are working on ruling out a crash. They don’t consider that to be a possibility either. Cruz is on his way here. I insisted he bring both Garcia and Kevin with him. We’re going to need all the help we can get!”

“No explosion and no crash?” Emma questioned. “That seems to leave a hijacking. Is that possible?”

“That appears to be what is left,” Rossi agreed with her. 

He looked around the restaurant. “I really hate to take you away from your meal, but we need to get out of here and start setting up shop somewhere where we can get to work. We also need to keep things quiet. No one needs to know that a government plane with a team of FBI agents on board has gone missing.”

“Does the FAA have a local office at the Las Vegas airport?” Emma was thinking as she stood up. “We probably need to start there, talking with their personnel. And, I am sure they also have a conference room we can use. That will be more private than using one at the local police station.”

“That is what Chief Cruz suggested,” Rossi told her. “He was going to contact them and make arrangements before he left Quantico.”


	8. Chapter 8

“Okay,” Hotch was leading the discussion as the four agents sat in the plane waiting. “At this point, I assume we can agree that we have been hijacked. What do we know about hijackers in general and what can we deduce about this group in particular?”

“I think we can assume that their objective doesn’t include using this aircraft as a weapon to take out a particular target,” JJ suggested. “They would have to refuel to do that, and I don’t see or hear any indication of that happening.”

“Could they be planning on using us as hostages in a negotiation?” Morgan suggested. “That would account for the way they have been treating us – No threats or physical abuse thus far. Of course, they haven’t had a lot of time with us, yet.”

“On the surface, they appear to be native speakers,” Blake observed. “However, they are using a device to distort their voices. And, I haven’t heard enough to begin to determine whether there are any regional usages that might indicate where they are from originally.”

“They obviously have access to funds,” Hotch was thinking. “Getting instruction in flying a plane of this type would cost money. Also, I would assume they are planning on concealing this plane somehow. That would mean they have managed to construct and stock a facility of some kind. That’s expensive, too.”

“Learning to land a plane in a small flat area like this would take a lot of time and effort,” Morgan continued the analysis. “That means they mustn’t have full-time, demanding jobs of any sort.”

“They are continuing to run the air flow system, so they are planning on taking care of us, at least for a while,” JJ observed as she shifted in her seat. “I would like to check the kitchenette and see if we still have water available.”

“I don’t see any reason for us to stay seated,” Hotch looked around the cabin. “No one has told us we can’t get up and move around.”

“We haven’t received any instructions since we landed,” Morgan pointed out. “And it has been at least half an hour. Are we sure they are still here?”

“You think they may have landed the plane and then abandon it?” Blake questioned. “That seems highly unlikely.”

“They may hope that we will try to walk our way out of the wilderness and die in the process,” JJ pointed out.

“Murder by the elements?” Morgan seemed intrigued by the idea.

“Agents!” the word echoed through the plane’s interior. “You will have observed that we have landed. At this time, you will gather all your weapons together and place them in one of the tote bags that you brought on board. You will then place the bag on the floor by the outer door where it will be collected. You will notice that I said ALL weapons, which includes knives and other items, as well as your guns.”

“You will then gather all your electronic communications devices and place them in Agent Hotchner’s attaché. This includes all laptops, tablets, and iPads, as well as all cell phones. Again, the bag is to be placed by the outer door for collection.”

“If we suspect that you have not complied with our request, I assure you that punishment will be swift and permanent.”

All the agents looked at Hotch, who looked grimmer than usual. “It sounds like they mean it,” he said as he reached down and began taking his ankle gun out of it’s holster.

“What if we don’t comply?” Blake asked loudly.

After several seconds, the lights in the cabin were turned off and then the air vent system quit blowing. 

“How much water and food do we have?” Blake questioned as the agents sat in the semi-dark, airless cabin.

“I would suspect, not a lot,” Hotch replied. “Typically, we aren’t provisioned for long flights.”

“And, as airtight as this cabin is, we will probably start running out of oxygen before we get hungry or thirsty,” JJ pointed out.

“Okay, we get the message,” Morgan announced loudly.

“Wise choice, Agent Morgan,” the hollow-sounding voice came over the speakers as the lights and air came back on.

“I’ll get my bag,” JJ volunteered, standing up.

Morgan looked at Hotch and both slowly took out their weapons. 

As everyone worked to pack both the tote bag and Hotch’s attaché, Morgan looked at Blake.

“Anything new on the linguistics front?” he asked.

“They obviously are using a voice distorter of some sort,” Blake replied slowly. “And, there still don’t appear to be any regional usages in what they are saying. The terms they are using are pretty generic throughout the U.S.”

“Is it possible they learned English as a second language and are using the distorter to hide their accents?” JJ asked.

“That is a possibility,” Blake agreed. 

After both bags had been packed and placed as instructed, the agents returned to their seats and began waiting to see what would happen next.


	9. Chapter 9

As Hotch and the team sat anxiously waiting for their captors’ next move, JJ cleared her throat.

“I know this is going to sound crazy,” she began. “But these guys seem to know exactly who we are – Right?”

“They even specified Hotch’s attaché,” Blake remembered. “And they called Morgan by name.”

“How would they know who is here?” Morgan questioned. “We didn’t even know that Reid and Rossi wouldn’t be with us until just before we left for the airstrip.”

“They have to have had access to our records somehow,” Hotch assumed. “If we can figure out how they know, we might have a clue as to who they are and what they want.”

“Okay, who would have been told that there was a change in the passenger list?” JJ asked.

“Just people within The Bureau,” Blake guessed. “Rossi did say that he and Reid both sent their vacation time requests to Cruz via the intranet.”

“So, someone who has access to The Bureau’s computer?” Morgan questioned.

“And, the flight manifest would have had to be updated,” Hotch said thoughtfully. “That means that someone within the FAA could have seen that change.”

“So, either way, we are talking about an insider?” Blake surmised.

Before anyone could respond, the speaker again came to life.

“Agents,” the hollow-sounding voice echoed through the cabin. “You will all remain in your seats with your seatbelts securely fastened.”

“Nothing there. Sounds like standard flight attendant instructions,” Blake observed softly.

The plane began moving slowly forward. As the agents watched out the windows, they could tell that it was being either pushed or pulled along what appeared to be a recently built crude roadway between increasingly taller brushes and trees. When it came to a halt, they were under a canopy constructed of various camouflage materials.

When the plane had been parked, with the wheels chocked, they could hear a set of stairs being rolled up next to the outer door. Then, the speaker again came to life. “Agents, you will remain in your seats until approval is given for you to move around the cabin and deplane.”

“Again, standard flight attendant jargon,” JJ observed.

The door of the plane opened and the agents could see gloved hands reaching in to retrieve both the tote bag and Hoch’s attaché. As the agents waited, they could only assume that the contents of both bags were being carefully examined and tallied.

Finally, their instructions came. “Agents, you may stand up and deplane. Please leave all carry-on luggage behind. It will be returned to you shortly.”

Cautiously, with Hotch in the lead, the agents filed off the plane.


	10. Chapter 10

“Army surplus,” Hotch commented as he looked around the area they had been funneled into. 

“These tarps must have come from Desert Storm,” Morgan observed as he looked up at the canvas ceiling high above them.

“And the camouflage netting,” JJ added. “I saw a lot of that in Afghanistan.” 

“Smells like it all came from WWII,” Blake sniffed. “How can this be in the middle of the desert and still smell like mold?”

“As I am sure Spence would tell you, we aren’t exactly in the middle of the desert,” JJ began.

“We are in the foothills of the mountains,” Morgan continued. “In a temperate forest area.”

He smiled at JJ. “I got that lecture, too,” he told her.

“However, I do agree with you about the mold,” Hotch added. “Now, let’s see what we have here.” He began walking around, surveying the perimeter of the enclosed area they were standing in.

“Speaking of Reid,” Blake spoke up. “How long to you think it will be before he and Rossi are notified that the plane is missing? I assume they will be called in by The Bureau when the FAA realizes that we are no longer on the radar.”

She looked at her watch. “They should be arriving in Vegas right about now.”

“And, knowing Spence, he will immediately throw the entire weight of his massive intellect into finding us,” JJ said with a smile.

“And, I have no doubt he will get Garcia to help him,” Hotch commented with a slight smile.

“Baby Girl and Pretty Boy – That should be a combination to challenge anyone!” Morgan declared. “If anyone can find us – They can!”

“Well, let’s see if we can figure out a way to help them help us,” Hotch suggested as he continued his survey. 

“It looks like this is backed up to a rock outcropping,” he added, examining the back wall. 

“And metal walls, at least 20 – 25 ft tall, with no windows, and a tarp roof,” he continued. “It appears as if these walls have been sunk in fairly deep. Possibly all the way down to bedrock.”

“The door is reinforced rebar with locks and hinges on the outside,” Morgan was examining it. “And, a surveillance camera directly above it. They probably have a 180 degree view of this entire area.”

“Bottled water and MRE’s,” JJ was surveying a set of open shelves set against one of the side walls. “Plus, some canned goods. Nothing fresh that can spoil.”

“Army surplus cots with fairly heavy blankets,” Blake was poking at the items in question. “They are prepared for the weather turning cold at night. And, there are two extra set-ups. They were originally expecting Reid and Rossi to be with us.”

“Packed dirt floor,” Morgan stamped his foot. “And, a built in port-a-potty,” he gestured towards the accommodations which had been set up in the far corner.

“Appropriated from a construction site, from the looks of it,” Blake commented wrinkling up her nose.

“Fully functional, I would hope,” JJ observed dryly. “Do you want to check for toilet paper or should I?”

“It looks like they are planning on us being here for a while,” Hotch concluded. 

“Well, what would everyone say about getting something to eat?” JJ added. “As Emma would say, ‘You can’t expect anyone to do their best work on an empty stomach!’”

“I’ll give you a hand,” Morgan volunteered.


	11. Chapter 11

As the four agents sat on their cots tentatively tasting the MREs that had been provided for them, they heard several sets of footsteps in the corridor leading to their prison.

“Agents,” the announcement sounded from a speaker mounted over the door. “The door will be opening and your personal possessions will be delivered to you. If you wish to receive them, you will stand away from the door, facing the back wall.”

“I would suggest we do as they say,” Hotch stood up. 

“I assume they don’t want us to see them or hear their real voices so we can’t identify them in the future,” JJ also stood up. 

“That must mean that they intend to eventually release us unharmed,” Blake sounded hopeful.

“I would really like to try an ambush maneuver,” Morgan protested as he reluctantly joined them in facing the wall. ‘”The sooner we get out of here the better.”

“No, let’s go along with them for now,” Hotch counseled. “We have no idea how many people we are dealing with and how are armed. We also need to get a better reading of their personalities so we can determine their weaknesses. Once we get more complete information, we’ll know when and where to strike in order to be the most effective.”

“We also don’t know where we are,” JJ pointed out. “That means if we do manage to escape we have no idea which direction we need to head in. We could end up walking around in circles for days.”

As they stood facing the rock outcropping that formed the rear wall of their prison they heard the door open, followed by the sound of multiple items hitting the ground. Then, the door slammed closed and the voice again sounded.

“You may now turn around and claim your belongings,” it announced hollowly.

“I would assume they have gone through our things,” JJ said as she moved towards the pile of their belongings, which had been left in front of the door.

“That would be my assumption,” Hotch told her. “Now, let’s take our time and check out exactly what we have available to us. Then, we can begin figuring out how to get out of here.”


	12. Chapter 12

The Las Vegas FAA Office was located in an annex of McCarren airport. Before going there, however, Emma insisted on taking a detour to her apartment so she could change her clothes. 

“I can’t expect anyone to take me seriously dressed like this,” she explained, indicating her black cocktail dress. “Also, this is not exactly functional. I need to change into something else; something I can work in.”

When they arrived in front of the 50’s era apartment building that Emma lived in, Rossi insisted on remaining in the car. “I walked up those antiquated stairs once this evening,” he told Reid and Emma. “And once is enough!”

“Dave, I told you to call me when you got here,” Emma reminded him. “I would have come down.”

“A gentleman always calls for a lady at her door,” Rossi told her with a stern look. “Now, go – Get changed - But don’t be too long!”

Emma make short work of hurrying up the stairs to her third floor apartment, with Reid trailing along behind her.

“I thought you were going to move,” he complained. 

“And I told you it was going to be a while,” Emma reminded him. “I have some student loans I am still paying on. And, some other bills. Remember – I have a budget I need to live within!”

She paused to unlock her door. “Besides, this is My Home! Now, why don’t you make yourself comfortable? This shouldn’t take more than a minute or two. It’s not like I have a lot of clothes to choose from.”

After Emma had disappeared into her bedroom, Reid took the opportunity to look around the small living space. One of the first things he noticed was a bag from a well-know lingerie shop, sitting on the couch. Curious, he picked it up and discovered it was empty.

“You’ve been shopping?” he raised his voice so Emma could hear him.

“What?” Emma walked back into the living area, dressed in a pair of dark trousers and a tailored, long-sleeve shirt. 

“Oh, yes!” she noticed the bag in his hand. “When the dress Dave sent over arrived, I realized I didn’t have any underwear to go with it. So, I had to run out and grab something.”

“Underwear?” Reid sounded uncertain.

“Yeah – I ended up having to get a complete ensemble,” Emma explained. She looked up a Reid and smirked. 

“Use your imagination,” she suggested. “For now – “

She picked up her backpack, purse, and jacket and headed for the door. “If you are ready – “

Rossi noticed that Reid’s ears were an unnatural shade of red when he and Emma returned to the car.


	13. Chapter 13

The rest of the trip to the FAA offices went quickly. When Rossi, Reid, and Emma arrived there, they were immediately shown to the main conference room where several of the local FBI agents, as well as the Senior FAA staff from the Las Vegas airport, were already gathered.

“Supervisory Special Agents David Rossi and Dr. Spencer Reid of the BAU,” Rossi led off the introductions. “Also, Dr. Emma Porter, who is consulting with us.” He gave Emma a stern look.

“SSA Perry Mitchell, Head of the Nevada Field Office,” the first man introduced himself as they shook hands. “And this is my second-in-command, SSA Moe Grant.” Mitchell indicated the man standing to his right. “He, I, and our staff will be assisting you.” 

“Agents,” Rossi acknowledged the introductions while Reid and Emma simply nodded.

“In addition,” Agent Mitchell continued. “These are our colleagues from the FAA. Dan Mills, District Manager for the Western-Pacific area ,Frank Caldwell, Manager of the Las Vegas Airport, and Larry Holman, who is the Air Traffic Manager for this airport. And, I must say, we are all glad you are here! If this is a hijacking, we are going to need someone with negotiating experience to help us out.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Rossi told him. “While hijackers are generally very well organized, they are also notoriously single minded in focusing on their goals.”

“Hijacking of planes is not usually committed for robbery or theft,” Reid broke in. “Most hijackers intend to use the passengers as hostages, either for monetary ransom or for some political or administrative concession by authorities. Their motives can vary from demanding the release of certain inmates to highlighting the grievances of a particular community.”

“So, we were right in assuming we should be looking for a ransom demand of some sort?” Agent Mitchell asked. 

“That would be my guess,” Rossi told him. “Have you already set up a track and trace for when a call is received?”

“One of the first things we did,” Agent Grant assured him. “If a call comes through, we are all set up and ready to go.”

“Now, the rest of our team should be arriving from Quantico in about two hours,” Rossi glanced at his watch. “Why don’t you update us on what you have accomplished thus far?”

“Who do you have coming in?” Agent Mitchell asked he led the way across the room to the evidence boards that had been set up there.

“Our Section Chief, Matt Cruz,” Rossi told him. “Also, two of our technical analysts.”

“They do realize we need to keep this quiet, don’t they?” Agent Mitchell worried. “The disappearance of a government plane carrying FBI personnel is not something we need to advertise.”

“They realize that,” Rossi assured him. He grimaced as he saw his four teammate’s pictures prominently posted on the evidence board. “Now, what do we know thus far?”

Emma picked up a marker and moved to stand in front of the white board. “Why don’t I start a list?” she suggested. “We can add to it as information becomes available. I see that the area map is already up,” she added, nodding towards the adjoining corkboard.

“Let me get started on the geographic profile,” Reid volunteered as he began examining the map.

“When and where did the plane go off the radar?” Rossi began the questions.

“About 50 – 55 minutes after take-off – It appeared to be heading in an east northeast direction when it dropped off the radar entirely - approximately – here,” Larry Holman pointed at a location on the map.

Reid put in a push pin and asked. “You said there was no evidence of an explosion or a crash?”

“None,” the Air Traffic Manager confirmed. “On the radar it looked as if the plane just coasted down and out of sight.”

“Northeast,” Rossi observed. “That wouldn’t be the direction the pilot would have charted if he was headed back to Quantico, is it?”

“Not normally,” Frank Caldwell told him. “Maybe if there was bad weather he wanted to avoid, but this morning it was clear all the way to Quantico.”

Reid was staring at the map. “Assuming the plane went down low enough to cruise for a distance under the radar, is there any place within this area where it could have safely landed?”

“As far as I know, No,” Frank Caldwell replied. “That area is pretty desolate. It’s mostly part of the Toiyabee National Forest. There are some flat areas, but you would have to know where they are. If someone were to try to land there, I suspect it would be a very tight fit.”

“So, whoever this is, they must be familiar with the area,” Rossi assumed.

“That would be our assumption,” Agent Mitchell agreed.

“What is the current threat assessment for this area?” Reid asked. “Have there been any verifiable threats received recently?”

“Not that we are aware of,” Agent Grant told him. “However, we have contacted the local law enforcement officials for their evaluation of the current situation.”

“So, I have the time of take off and the time when the plane disappeared from the radar,” Emma was drawing a timeline on the board. “Is there a time when communication was cut off?”

“I don’t think they made radio contact after clearing the airport,” Larry Holman said thoughtfully. “Let me check and get back to you on that.”


	14. Chapter 14

Two hours later, when Section Chief Matt Cruz arrived at the FAA offices, he had both Garcia and Kevin with him. However, it was the other passengers who had accompanied him on the jet, who came as a surprise. He had brought JJ’s husband, Will, and her son, Henry, as well as Hotch’s son, Jack and Hotch’s brother Sean.

“It is standard procedure to notify next-of-kin,” Cruz explained. “And, it seemed cruel to leave them sitting in Quantico, waiting and wondering.”

“Blake’s husband?” Emma immediately questioned.

“James has been notified,” Cruz assured her. “He felt that for now he should stay in Boston with his work. We will be sending him regular updates.”

“Where are we going to put them?” Rossi worried looking around the conference room. “The children can’t stay here.”

“Well, I know where there is an unused hotel suite,” Emma volunteered. “I know this isn’t the use that it was intended for, but they will be comfortable there and the hotel does have a pool complex as well as a games room. That should keep the kids occupied.”

Rossi smiled sadly at her. “You know, there are some items in that hotel suite that probably should be removed before the kids find them,” he told her.

“I suspected as much,” Emma replied. “Let me talk to Will. I know him, so it shouldn’t be too embarrassing.”

She hesitated for a moment and then softly told Rossi, “You know, he is half hoping for grandchildren.”

“Will Reid?” Rossi questioned knowingly.

“Yes,” she confirmed. “And, I just – I just don’t know – “

Rossi watched as she walked over to speak with the new arrivals, and then sadly shook his head.

“Problem?” Dan Mills asked curiously.

“Purely a personal issue,” Rossi told him. “This was supposed to be a special weekend for the two of them.” He nodded towards Reid.

“Well, maybe you can arrange something when this is all over with,” Agent Grant suggested. 

“I’m afraid that might be too late,” Rossi told him dejectedly.


	15. Chapter 15

After getting Will, Sean, and the two boys situated in the hotel suite, Emma returned to the FAA conference room.

“Everyone settled in?” Cruz asked as she walked through the door.

“Oh, yes,” she assured him. “I think the boys were kind of scared about the turn of events, but once they saw the hotel and the pool and everything, they soon changed their minds. Will and Sean are still on edge, however. They feel they should be doing something to help.”

“That’s understandable,” Cruz commented. “I spoke with them on the way out here and explained that our agents would be taking the lead on this but that if anything comes up that falls into the realms of their expertise, we will call on them. Now, Rossi and Reid have updated me on the current situation, and Garcia and Kevin are set up and monitoring any internet chatter concerning terrorist activities. Garcia is also looking into any local terrorist groups while Kevin checks – Well - Whatever it is that Kevin is checking.”

“I just spoke with Kevin,” Rossi joined them. “He is going to start by checking on anyone from our previous BAU cases who has been released from prison. After that, he’ll start on relatives and close friends of our unsubs who might hold a grudge.”

“Let me get with the local staff and see about getting some food in here,” Emma volunteered. “Neither Spencer, Dave, nor I had any dinner, and I suspect several of the others here have worked though their mealtimes as well. Vending machine food and coffee maker coffee is good in a pinch, but we can’t expect everyone to do their best work on an empty stomach.”

“Thanks, I am sure that will be appreciated,” Cruz assured her. “And – “ he hesitated. “I want to let you know that as soon as this is over with, I will personally make sure that Reid has some time off to spend with you. I am so sorry about all of this!”

“It’s his team, his family,” Emma replied. “Believe me, I understand that. Now, why don’t you two get back to work? You need to find that plane and your agents.”


	16. Chapter 16

“Sir, Agent Cruz?” Dan Mills walked over, followed by Agents Grant and Mitchell. “I just heard from our people in Reno. They were examining the airfield where the plane took off, and they found two jet skis sunk in the lake adjacent to it.”

“There weren’t any motion detectors to pick up indications of trespassers?” Cruz asked, incredulously.

“It seems they were turned off,” was the reply. “Apparently, a flock of migratory waterfowl came through the area several weeks ago and they kept setting off the alarms.”

“Well, that explains how the hijackers got onto the landing strip and into the plane,” Rossi observed. “Now, we just have to figure out who they are and where they took it.”

“We are getting ready to contact the local sheriff for the area we suspect the plane landed in,” Agent Grant told him. “Also, the Regional Head of the National Park Services.”

“I thought you wanted to keep this under wraps,” Emma pointed out.

“That is our intent,” Dan Mills told her.

“Well, think about it,” Emma continued. “Once you tell the sheriff and the head forest ranger what is going on, who do you think they are going to tell? And, who do you think those people are going to tell? Before you know it, the entire county will know that there is an FBI plane with agents aboard missing. And then – Who knows?”

“You have a better suggestion?” Agent Mitchell challenged her.

Emma looked over at Rossi and the two of them smiled. 

“Who can roam the highways and byways without arousing suspicion?” she questioned.

“The same people who can sit in a bar drinking a beer and soak up all the local gossip without anyone bothering them,” Rossi observed.

“Make the call and set up a meeting,” Cruz instructed her.


	17. Chapter 17

Forty-five minutes later, Reid, Rossi, Emma, and Agent Mitchell were in one of The Bureau’s black SUVs pulling into the crowded parking lot of a popular local motorcycle shop.

“Double D owns this place,” Emma explained. “And, it’s not unusual for members of The Devil Riders to be here.”

“You think this is a wise decision?” Agent Mitchell demanded. “Confiding in a motor cycle gang?”

“They are my family,” Emma told him. “And the missing agents are my husband’s family. They know the value of family.”

“Your husband?” Agent Mitchell questioned, surprised. “You two are married?” He glanced over a Reid.

“It’s complicated,” Emma explained shortly as Reid grimaced.

“By the way, Spencer,” she continued as they climbed out of the vehicle. “While we are here, you might want to check whether your father’s bike is in yet. From what I have heard it should be arriving any day now.”

“My father ordered a – a – Motorcycle?” Reid questioned incredulously. He was so shocked he almost spilled the cup of coffee he was carrying.

“Yes,” Emma chuckled. “There is a local group of lawyers who ride together on weekends. They also sponsor several charity rides each year benefitting the regional children’s hospital. After going with them on a couple of rides, your father thought it might be fun to join them on a regular basis.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Rossi chimed in as he stashed the ignition key in his pocket. “Fresh air and all. I assume he has a helmet all picked out?”

“Oh yes,” Emma assured him. “He was going to get one for me, too, but I had my mother send my old one down from Reno. I suspect it will do for Dr. Diana as well.”

“My mother is going to ride on a motorcycle?” Reid was having a problem taking it all in.

“Spencer, your mother rode a mule down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon,” Emma reminded him. “How hard can this be?”

“Still, a motorcycle gang - ?” Agent Mitchell continued questioning. “I just want to go on record as saying that this is not my idea.”

“Duly noted,” Rossi replied dryly. “However, I do think this is a good way to keep things under the radar.”

As the three men followed Emma through the front door of the shop and into the crowded showroom, they were greeted by a bellow from the back of the room.

“Emma!” a tall, bearded man in a black leather jacket and jeans rushed forward to greet her with a hug. 

“Bear - You made it!” she exclaimed as she was enveloped in his arms. “It is so good to see you!”

“And, you, too, Tiny!” she moved on to embrace a second, equally large man who was standing behind Bear. “It has been too long!”

“And whose fault is that?” Bear questioned fondly.

As Reid watched the exchange, he wondered again at the relationship between Emma and the men she had grown up around. She seemed so much more comfortable with them than she was with him. Would she ever relate to him like that? Self-consciously, he pushed that thought away and turned his attention to the men standing in front of him.

“Professor - Writer Man,” Bear greeted Reid and Rossi, giving each of them a complicated handshake which was closely watched by several of the shop’s customers.

“Bear,” Rossi grinned at the man. “Good to see you! I see you are keeping busy.”

“Yeah,” the giant grinned back. “Running a property management company takes a lot of time. I see you’ve been busy too. I understand your latest book was just released.”

“You guys need to use the back room?” a third bearded man, also dressed in biker garb, ambled over to join them. “Hi Emma,” he added with a smile.

“Double D,” Emma greeted him. “I think you remember everyone. Except for Agent Mitchell, of course,” she added, indicating the uncomfortable looking agent.

“Of course,” the man replied. “And, Professor, I want you to know that I’m taking real good care of your father. His bike is due in on Monday, and when it arrives I intend to give it the full treatment.”

“Thanks – I think,” Reid replied hesitantly.

“And, yes, I think we’ll accept your offer of the room,” Rossi spoke up. 

“No problem, just go on through. Bear knows the way,” Double D gestured towards the back of the shop.

“You, too,” Reid told him. “That is, if you have someone to watch the store.”

“My old lady,” was the reply. “Hey, Sadie!”

The petite woman who appeared from the service area didn’t match the agents’ expectations of a gang member’s ‘old lady’. However, as she worked her way through the customers, all the time running her hand through her short, blond hair, Rossi would be willing to bet that she could take on any of them – And probably win.

“Could you watch the shop for a while, Honey?” Double D asked. “I need to talk with these guys.”

Sadie gave the agents a shrewd look. “I know you,” she told Reid. “You’re Emma’s husband. I saw you at the wake.”

“That’s right,” he didn’t see any reason to deny it.

“Take good care of her,” was the brief injunction. 

“You need anything, you know where I am,” she told the group as they followed Double D into the back room.


	18. Chapter 18

“What do you mean the entire plane has disappeared?” Bear demanded incredulously. 

“And The Fed was on board?” Tiny was outraged.

“They are all federal agents,” Agent Mitchell interrupted him.

“The Fed is Agent Morgan,” Rossi spoke up. “That’s his gang name.”

“The same way I am ‘The Professor’ and Rossi is ‘Writer Man’,” Reid supplied helpfully.

“And, you are?” Agent Mitchell turned to Emma.

“Let’s just say – Emma,” she told him seriously. “After I grew up, I wasn’t around enough to earn a gang name.”

“Emma is good enough for me,” Rossi assured her while the others nodded in agreement.

“Okay, back to the plane,” Double D said. “Where exactly did it disappear?”

“Northeast of town,” Reid told him as he spread out a map of Nevada on the conference room table they were sitting around. “Over a rather large wilderness area of the Toiyabee National Forest.” 

He pointed to an area on the map as he spoke. “There are a lot of variances in elevation with rock outcroppings and some very narrow valleys in the area. Plus, a wide variety of vegetation. That’s why we suspect that normal surveillance techniques would be unsuccessful.”

“We need to keep this as quiet as possible,” Agent Mitchell emphasized. “That is why we are coming to you. We figured your people could look around and ask questions without calling attention to the situation.”

“We can do that,” Bear agreed. “When we roar by on our bikes, people don’t expect us to be investigating anything on behalf of a law enforcement agency. And, they are much more likely to discuss any beefs they may have with any government entities with us.”

“What exactly should our guys be looking for?” Tiny asked.

“First off, there will be extra traffic in the area around where the plane is being held,” Rossi began. “Mostly on roads and trails which haven’t seen a lot of use previously. These guys will try to conceal it, but you should be able to spot damage to the trees and bushes along the way.”

“Next, the people involved will definitely be secretive,” Reid added. “They may or may not be locals, but they will be evasive when asked where they are going and/or what they are doing.”

“Either that or their answers will sound rehearsed,” Emma explained. “We suspect that this is a highly organized group of hijackers. So, they will be extremely focused on their objective and won’t welcome any interruptions from outsiders.”

“And, they will be dressed unremarkably,” Reid continued. “Probably in muted colors and in a style consistent with hunters or survivalists.”

“They would have had to have moved a lot of materials into the area,” Rossi pointed out. “Maybe not all at once, but over a period of time. They would definitely need supplies of all kinds if they are planning on concealing a plane as well as holding our people captive for a length of time.”

“Food and shelter,” Double D commented. “That would take some larger vehicles.”

“Four-wheel drive,” Bear was thinking. “Larger, but not excessively large if they are going to traverse the trails.”

“And, probably an ATV or two,” Tiny contributed. 

“Okay, let me get on the phone and start getting my guys organized,” Bear took out his cell. “Any particular limitations we need to deal with?”

“Keep it quiet and keep it in the family,” Rossi told him. “And, if you find something, call us. Don’t try to handle it yourselves!”

“And, no violence,” Agent Mitchell felt compelled to add.

“Violence – My Guys?” Bear questioned innocently. 

As Emma and the three men left the motorcycle shop, Bear was busy calling his most trusted lieutenants and assigning responsibilities.


	19. Chapter 19

When the group arrived back at the FAA’s offices, Rossi parked the bureau’s SUV in the front parking lot and everyone climbed out and began walking towards the building. As they were crossing the asphalt lot, a familiar looking, modest-sized sedan suddenly screeched into the lot and pulled into the first available space. As everyone stood watching, Will Reid quickly climbed out of it and ran over to them.

“Spencer – Emma!” he gasped. “You are both all right? And you, too, Dave?”

“How did you – ???“ Agent Mitchell began.

“Let’s all go inside before we start talking,” Rossi interrupted as he began guiding everyone towards the door.

“Conference Room!” Agent Mitchell snapped once they were through the door and in the lobby.

“Okay, who are you?” he demanded loudly once they were in the room.

“His father,” Will Reid told the agent defiantly while pointing at Reid. “And, her father-in-law,” he further declared, putting an arm around Emma and pulling her close.

“Okay, calm down,” Rossi interjected. “Will, did you maybe hear something from somebody?”

“Bear called me,” the lawyer explained. “He told me that the BAU’s plane is missing with some of your agents on board. Even though he assured me that Spencer and Emma are okay, I had to see for myself. So, here I am. Now, what can I do to help?”

“I don’t think – “ Agent Mitchell began.

“That may be a good idea,” Rossi interrupted him. “You can never have too many eyes on the ground and, seeing as how Will here is a lawyer, he probably has access to a completely different group of informants then Bear has.”

“Who do you need me to talk to and what do I need to find out!” Will demanded.

“This is getting out of hand!” Agent Mitchell declared angrily. “All this unauthorized personnel prowling around asking questions!”

“And your agents have turned up - ?” Rossi returned. 

“He’s right,” Cruz joined them. “Even Garcia and Kevin haven’t been able to identify any suspects or discover anyone on line bragging about their ‘conquest’. And, we haven’t received any ransom demand. Maybe it is time to try another approach.”

“Mr. Reid?” Garcia ran into the conference room. “I thought I heard your voice.”

“Penelope!” the man smiled at her as they exchanged hugs. “I am so glad you are okay! Now, since this gentleman doesn’t seem to want me in the field, is there something I can do to give you a hand?”

“Actually, I think there is something,” Emma said thoughtfully. “No – Hear me out,” she told Agent Mitchell. “This is definitely a lawyer thing.”


	20. Chapter 20

“So, you think these hijackers may have taken the time to make out wills?” Will Reid asked as they sat around a small table in the break room.

“Yes. They seem to be organized and methodical,” Rossi agreed, giving Emma an approving look. “Someone like that would definitely have gotten their affairs in order before starting out on their ‘mission’.”

“Particularly when there was a question of whether or not they would come back alive,” Reid added.

“I am sure you can get a feel from some of your lawyer friends about whether they have had any new clients who fit our profile, without asking them to violate any confidences,” Emma added. 

“Then, once we know which one(s) of your legal brethren are potentially involved, I can – maybe - ‘visit’ their office computer systems and look around,” Garcia added circumspectly. 

“Sounds reasonable,” Will took out his cell phone. “I can start getting in touch right now, using the excuse of checking on plans for our next ride.”

He hesitated in his dialing and looked across the table at Emma. “Sweetie,” he said softly. “Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

“Well, I am a little tired,” Emma admitted reluctantly.

“Kiddo – When was the last time you got some rest?” Rossi questioned, concerned. “I know you went straight home after work yesterday and immediately got ready to go out. I picked you up a short time later. You’ve been going ever since, haven’t you?”

“Maybe - ?” Emma guessed.

“Is there somewhere she can lay down for a little while and take a nap?” Will asked. 

“Let me ask one of the local guys,” Garcia volunteered. “I am sure they have cots and blankets available in case of an emergency.”

“Penelope – I don’t need anyone making a fuss,” Emma protested. “Just find me a corner somewhere and I’ll curl up for a few minutes.”

“I think Mr. Mills has an office in the building that he uses when he is in the area,” Garcia replied. “There should be a couch in there. Come on – Let’s ask.”

I’ll come with you,” Reid volunteered as he stood up and followed them out of the room.

After the two women and Reid had left the break room, Will turned to Rossi. “Dave,” he started out hopefully. “Is there any chance Emma is – “

“No,” Rossi interrupted him. “I am sure she is just worn out. Besides, Reid has been either in Quantico or on the road with the team, and Emma has been here in Vegas.”

“I’m sorry,” Will quickly apologized. “It’s probably none of my business. But, you need to understand that six months ago I was sitting alone in my den with my book collection, wondering whether I should make arrangements for my cat in case anything happened to me. Then, Emma walked through my door and not only am I getting a second chance with my son, but there is also the very real chance that I might someday be a grandfather. You do understand that, don’t you?”

“Oh yes,” Rossi agreed wholeheartedly with him. “Believe me, I understand!”

“Now, let me get started on those phone calls!”


	21. Chapter 21

“Well, we have enough food and water for at least two weeks if not more,” Morgan began his analysis of their situation. “It looks like they were planning on Reid and Rossi being with us.”

“And, as far as personal effects are concerned, we have had most of them returned to us,” Blake observed. “It seems they only took sharp objects and anything that could remotely be used as survival gear. Although, we did get to keep our jackets to help get us through the cold nights.”

“I still want to know what I could do with my nail clippers that would be considered dangerous,” JJ complained. “They confiscated those as well as my curling iron and hair spray.”

“I can understand the hair spray,” Hotch gave her a ghost of a smile. “Remember how Garcia and Emma subdued those gang members using spray-on hair products? And, they took my and Morgan’s hiking boots. I assume that is to prevent us from walking any distance in case we do manage to escape.”

“As for the curling iron,” he continued. “I don’t see any outlet where you plug that in anyway.”

“Actually,” Morgan got up and began prowling the perimeter of the room, checking up and down the walls, “Besides not having any electrical outlets we don’t seem to have any type of lighting that we can control. Apparently, we are going to be dependent on whoever is in charge for night time lights.”

“Just like a jail cell,” JJ remarked glumly. 

“We haven’t heard anything from our captors lately,” Blake said. “And it is starting to get dark out. Do you think they are still out there?”

“They are still there,” Hotch assured her. “Playing mind games with us. They are probably playing mind games with The Bureau as well. I would assume they haven’t contacted anyone yet concerning the fact that they have us. They will just let everyone sit and wonder and worry.”

“Well, I’m not going to worry!” Morgan declared as he moved one of the cots into a more advantageous position. “I am just going to get everything set up, and then I am going to get some sleep. First thing tomorrow morning, we can start planning our escape!”


	22. Chapter 22

“Have we heard anything about a ransom demand?” Dan Mills questioned anxiously. 

“Not yet,” Rossi told him. “However, that is to be expected.”

“Expected?” the FAA District Manager questioned.

“Yes,” Reid assured him. “These hijackers, whoever they are, are highly organized and most likely have studied previous kidnappings and hijackings. They know that by delaying contacting us that will place further stress on us, and they are hoping that that will throw us off our stride and cause us to make mistakes. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“So, we just keep waiting?” Dan Mills questioned.

“We keep working while we wait,” Rossi replied. “There has to be a clue out there somewhere as to who these people are and where they have taken the plane. We just need to find it.”

“Well, I have two leads,” Will Reid was holding up his cell phone as he joined them in the conference room. “I already gave both names to Penelope and she is checking them out. And, Kevin asked me to tell you that he is checking on several students at the university who have been very vocal about being anti-government.”

“Penelope also wanted you to know that shortly both of them will begin checking law enforcement records for the national forest area in question. They are hoping that someone got a ticket or citation of some sort that will give us a lead.”

“Sounds like they are making good progress,” Dan Mills said admiringly. “Now, let me get back to my people. We have been busy compiling a list of all the threats that have been received by the local FAA office over the past five years. We’ll be handing it over to your techs shortly so they can follow up on those involved.”

“Let me see if I can help with that,” Will Reid volunteered. 

After the two men had left the room, Rossi turned to Reid. “Emma?” he questioned.

“Garcia found her a place to take a nap,” Reid replied. “She’s in an office that I believe belongs to Dan Mills. I was getting ready to walk down there and check on her. I really think she is just stressed out over all of this.”

“She pushes herself far too hard, and she has never learned to compartmentalize,” Rossi observed. “Let me come with you - Just for my own peace of mind, you understand.”

Silently, Reid nodded his agreement. 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

As Rossi stood in the doorway of Dan Mills’ office watching Emma sleeping on the couch, Reid spoke up from where he was standing slightly behind him. 

“She warms my pajamas, you know,” he quietly told the older agent.

“What?” Rossi wasn’t quite sure what Reid meant.

“There is a heat vent in my bathroom and she hangs my pajamas under it,” Reid explained. “She says that when I put them on and they are warm, it’s like she’s giving me a hug. You know, she’s right.”

“Three ex-wives and multiple girlfriends and no one has ever done that for me,” Rossi told him. 

“She also bought me some new t-shirts to sleep in,” Reid continued softly. “They are made out of some really soft cotton that is supposed to get softer every time it is washed. 

“You do know that she loves you?” Rossi asked softly. He turned to give the young agent a thoughtful look. “And, Spencer, you need to make a decision. Either make this a real marriage and let yourself love her, or let her go so she can find someone who can give her all the love she deserves for the rest of her life.”

“I know,” Reid sounded frustrated. “You and my father are both trying to get us together, but things just never seem to work out. And, there are times when I think I am ready to move on with my life, but then I’ll suddenly get the feeling I am being watched and, when I start looking around, I’ll think I see Maeve standing there, just staring at me. Plus, there are the dreams - ”

Rossi took a deep breath. “Spencer, I can’t do anything about the dreams,” he told the reluctant husband. “But, we do need to talk about Maeve. Let me get Garcia to join us and we’ll see if we can find an empty office.”


	23. Chapter 23

“You never told me?!?” Reid demanded angrily as he threw the photos down on the desk of the empty office they had appropriated.

“There didn’t seem to be any reason to,” Rossi explained patiently.

“She never gave us any reason to worry about her intentions,” Garcia continued as she gathered the pictures back up. “She wasn’t coming near either of you and hadn’t done anything threatening.”

“We were hoping she would go back to school for the fall semester and just disappear,” Rossi continued. “And, you know how often stalkers lose interest in their victim and move on.”

“According to some estimates, over 50% of the time,” Reid contributed reluctantly.

“See, we were playing the odds,” Garcia pointed out.

“Emma knows?” Reid questioned.

“She was with me when I discovered Moira’s identity,” Garcia told him. “And, she is the one who initially noticed all the effort Moira is putting into trying to look like Maeve.”

“Now what do I do?” Reid questioned, holding his head in his hands and shaking it.

“You move on with your life!” Rossi declared. “Once we have found the missing plane and the rest of our team and have closed this case, you and Emma can get together and decide what the two of you want to do.”

“And, if it comes to that, I am sure I can dig up enough dirt on Moira to have her institutionalized for the rest of her life,” Garcia assured him.


	24. Chapter 24

It was the morning sunlight coming through the air holes in the canvas roof that woke Morgan. As he rolled over and stretched his arms and legs, he realized that his movements were being restricted by the size of the cot he was sleeping on. And, when he thought about it, he realized he couldn’t remember whether this was the second or third morning he had woken up on the cot.

He definitely remembered that it had been on a Friday that the plane had been hijacked and they had been brought to this place. He recalled how they had spent the first morning of their captivity examining the room for a means of escape. They quickly determined that the canvas tarp roof was far too high for them to reach, even after piling all the cots on top of each other, and that the same was true for the spy camera mounted above the only door into the room. 

“Well, maybe that is why they confiscated my hair spray,” JJ had exclaimed. “They were afraid I would use it to obscure their view of our activities.”

The walls had also proven to be impenetrable. 

“These are insulated metal walls,” Hotch had declared after examining them. “They are constructed of two layers of metal bonded by an insulating foam material. I have seen them used for cold storage facilities.”

“That explains why they didn’t give us a can opener,” Blake commented dryly. “They are afraid we might be able to use it to pry open a wall.”

The hard-packed dirt floor had also defied them, particularly since all they had to dig with was some plastic tableware. Refusing to give up, JJ had taken to periodically dumping water on a selected area near the left wall and then returning later to scrape away yet another fraction of an inch of dirt. 

“I don’t care!” she had declared when Hotch pointed out that their captors could undoubtedly watch her efforts on the camera. “I want them to know I’m not going to just rollover and give up – I am going to fight this!”

Thankfully, when their captors had returned their personal possessions they had including their reading material. Initially, that had helped pass the time but, eventually, everyone had tired of that. Even Hotch, after going through the stack of papers from his attaché, joked that for the first time he could remember he was caught up on his paperwork. 

They had then begun competing in games that could be played with paper and a pencil. Hangman was a favorite and, even though Blake came up with some innovative words, everyone still kidded about the words that Reid would undoubtedly have contributed to the game. After a while, however, that had also given way to boredom and JJ began comparing their situation to that of entertaining a bored child on a rainy afternoon. A discussion concerning various methods their parents had employed to keep them entertained had followed, and several new games had been constructed using materials at hand.

Bowling, using weighted empty water bottles as bowling pins, showed promise as a method of entertainment, until they discovered that every item they drafted into use as a bowling ball listed in either one direction or another. The discussion that ensued again centered on Reid and some of the solutions he would have undoubtedly devised.

As they continued discussing possible solutions to the bowling ball conundrum, Morgan absent-mindedly began tossing one of the weighted water bottles from hand to hand. Soon, he was looking up at the canvas tarp that formed the roof of their prison. 

“Morgan?” Hotch questioned when he noticed that the profiler’s attention had wandered.

“How high do you think I can throw this?” Morgan held up the weighted water bottle.

“Maybe, I don’t know, 20 feet,” Hotch guessed. He also looked up at the ceiling. “You thinking of trying something?”

“Maybe,” Morgan replied thoughtfully.

“Well, even if you can get it high enough, I doubt if that bottle would do any damage to the canvas,” Blake pointed out. 

“And, if you did manage to get it through one of the holes that let in air and light, it would probably just land on the roof and lay there,” JJ added.

“You could try the ‘letter in a bottle’ ploy anyway,” Hotch suggested. “There is the off chance that the bottle might roll off the roof and be found by someone who isn’t part of this conspiracy.”

“Or, we could try making the bottle a bright color,” Blake was thinking. “That way if it did just land on the roof someone flying over the area might spot it.”

“Well, let’s get started!” JJ had suggested.

The selected water bottle was wrapped in a bright red scarf of Blake’s and a note containing directions for contacting the FBI offices in Quantico was placed inside it. By standing on top of the stacked cots, Morgan had managed to throw the bottle through one of the holes in the roof where it now lay, hopefully ready to attract the attention of any low flying aircraft in the area.

The four agents had then anxiously awaited a reaction from their captors. However, after hearing nothing, they had continued to eat, drink water, and sleep in shifts. Occasionally, they could hear motor vehicles moving about outside their prison, but as for voices or physical contact, there had been nothing. And, they noted with resignation, there had been no sounds of any aircraft, low flying or otherwise.

Thinking hard, Morgan worked out that today should be Monday. Shaking his head, he wondered when this would ever end.


	25. Chapter 25

When Reid woke up that Monday morning, he was lying on an uncomfortable cot in a strange office. Groggily, he remembered Garcia arranging for the cot and a blanket for him. And, as he carefully rolled over and struggled to sit up, he remembered his discussion the evening before with Rossi and Garcia concerning the existence of Moira.

Looking over at the leather couch next to his cot, he saw Emma lying there watching him.

“Hey there,” she greeted him with a smile. “You finally woke up. I was starting to wonder - You were sleeping so soundly.”

“Hey,” he finally managed to sit up. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better,” Emma assured him as she also sat up. “Although, I could use a toothbrush and a change of clothes. Do you know what kind of progress has been made and whether a ransom demand has been received?”

“There was nothing new to report when I fell asleep last night,” Reid replied. “The local agents are still rotating shifts on both the phone lines and the research. Theoretically, if these unsubs are intent on applying psychological pressure, they should be reaching their own limits and we will be hearing from them at any time now.”

“Rossi, Garcia, and I had a talk last night,” he told her seriously. “They told me about Moira. Someone should have told me before now.”

“I’m sorry,” Emma apologized. “But you always had other, more important things on your mind. And, it wasn’t like she was threatening us or anything. Penelope and I honestly thought she would get bored and go away.”

“She went through all the trouble and expense of having plastic surgery so she would look like Maeve,” Reid pointed out. “That means she is serious about continuing her campaign of intimidation to whatever conclusion she has planned.”

“Okay, but she still hasn’t made contact with either of us,” Emma reminded him. “So, can we just forget about her for a while and concentrate on getting your team members back? We can worry about her later.”

“News Flash!” Garcia announced loudly as she pushed open the office door. Seeing the two of them sitting there, she promptly put her hand over her eyes and turned away. “Sorry!!!”

“Not to worry, Penelope,” Emma spoke up. “We are just sitting here talking.”

“Something’s happened?” Reid stood up and began walking towards the door.

“A ransom demand just came in,” the tech announced as she turned back to face the couple. “The caller wasn’t on the line long enough to trace the call, but it was recorded and they are supposed to call back in an hour. Rossi would like you to join him in the conference room ASAP!”

“Okay,” Reid began rushing out of the room. “Oh!” He stopped abruptly and turned around. “Will you be – ?“

“Don’t worry about me,” Emma assured him. “I’ll join you in a minute.”


	26. Chapter 26

“Okay, what do we have?” Reid questioned as he simultaneously took a chair at the conference room table and sipped from his specially prepared cup of overly sweetened coffee.

“This call came in at approximately 8:15 this morning,” the track-and-trace technician reported as she pushed the ‘Play’ button.

As the agents listened, following the standard FBI greeting by the agent on duty a mechanical sounding voice came out of the speakers –

“FBI Agents - I believe you have some people missing. If you want to get them back, you will be ready to talk in approximately one hour.”

Then, the line went dead.

“Well?” Agent Mitchell questioned. “What do we do, other than wait an hour?”

“I don’t think this is the call we are waiting for,” Rossi gave his opinion.

“What? Why not?” Agent Grant questioned.

“Look at the words being used,” Reid pointed out. “They say ‘I believe’ and they make no offer of proof that they actually do have our agents.”

“Also, we profiled this as a highly organized and disciplined group,” Rossi continued. “Someone like that would have been ready with a specific demand or a list of demands. This person doesn’t seem to have that.”

“So, we should ignore this call?” Agent Mitchell questioned.

“No – Definitely Not!” Rossi asserted. “Whoever this is, they appear to know that the plane is missing. Therefore, there is a good chance they know who has it.”

“When they call back, we need to keep them talking,” Reid explained. “Not because we think we can negotiate with them but because, hopefully, we can pick up some clues as to where they are getting their information.”

“I’m all set up to continue the track-and-trace,” the technician assured the agents. “And, of course, the recording.”

“Good,” Rossi replied. “And, when they call back, whoever speaks with them needs to begin by praising them and making them feel that they are superior to our agents. Then, they need to move on to whatever they are asking for. Ask for details and clarification. If they mention a specific place, try to find out how familiar they are with it. However, whatever you do, don’t press. If they aren’t forthcoming with the information, move on. Sometimes we can get more information from what isn’t said than we can get from what is said.”

“Got it,” Agent Mitchell replied. “What about if they ask questions? What do we tell them?”

“Use some common sense,” Reid counseled. “We can assume they have an idea of where we are located, but don’t give an exact address. And, whatever you do, don’t give out any details about the missing agents. If they do have our agents, we don’t need to give them any information that can be used to manipulate them.”

“Understood,” was the terse reply. “Now, we just wait?”

“We just wait,” Rossi verified.


	27. Chapter 27

The rest of the hour crept along. While Emma and Agents Mitchell and Grant listened, Reid and Rossi discussed ransom demands they had handled in the past and worked out various strategies for handling any demands the caller might make. The others either paced about restlessly (Dan Mills) or sat chewing their nails (Larry Holman). It was 9:28 a.m. when the phone finally rang.

“Agent Mitchell,” the Head of the FBI’s Nevada Office had taken it upon himself to handle the call personally.

“Agent Mitchell,” the mechanical sounding voice coming out of the speaker repeated his name. “I wish to speak with Agent Rossi. Put him on, please.”

Silently the agent held the phone out to Rossi.

“This is Agent Rossi,” Rossi identified himself. 

“Agent Rossi,” the voice said. “I just want you to know that I changed my mind and don’t want to talk right now. I am going to go get a cold treat and then take a walk in my garden.”

The line went dead.

“What the - ???“ Matt Cruz had rushed back from the hotel suite where he had been updating Sean and Will. He looked hopelessly at Rossi.

“We did profile that this is not the real hijacker,” Rossi reminded him. “And, I would assume that this proves it. Whoever this is, they weren’t prepared to carry the ruse all the way through and decided to opt out.”

“What now?” was Dan Mills’ question.

“We continue waiting,” Rossi told him.


	28. Chapter 28

“If it’s all the same to you,” Emma spoke up. “I would like to take a run back to my apartment. I need to pick up my toothbrush and get some clean clothes. I did bring some things with me, but I wasn’t planning on being here this long.”

“No problem,” Cruz told her. “And, take Reid with you. He looks like he could use a change of scenery.” He gave the young agent a stern look.

“No – No need – I’m just – “ Reid stammered.

“Spencer, don’t argue!” Emma interrupted him. “Let’s get going. The sooner we leave the sooner we can get back.” Grabbing his arm, she dragged him out of the conference room while everyone else watched in amusement.

“Yep, they’re definitely married!” Agent Mitchell declared with a smirk.

“It’s - complicated,” Cruz sadly shook his head.

“Let me stop and talk with Penelope before we go,” Emma told Reid once they were in the hallway. “I want to check and see if she needs anything.”

Rossi discretely followed the two young people down the hallway into the office where Garcia and Kevin were set up.

“Penelope,” Emma greeted the tech as she and Reid walked into the office. “Spencer and I are going to take a run into the outside world. Is there anything you need while we are out there?”

“Some better leads,” the tech grumbled. “Kevin and I have been following everything the locals have come up with and they all seem to be going nowhere.”

“And, as far as I can tell, there doesn’t seem to be any connection to any of your previous cases,” Kevin added. “I ran into a bunch of dead ends there, too.”

Garcia looked over and noticed Rossi standing in the doorway.

“Sir,” she began. “Permission to ‘Go Rogue’, please.”

“What are you thinking, Kitten?” the senior agent asked as he carefully closed the door behind him.

“I get the feeling that someone here is deliberately sabotaging our efforts,” was the reply. “I don’t know who, but the information we are being given doesn’t seem to be – adequate – for what the locals should be discovering.”

“The best leads we’ve gotten so far were from Mr. Reid,” Kevin explained. “And, he isn’t even a member of any of the local federal agencies.”

Rossi nodded. “Okay, you think someone here is stonewalling you. How do you intend to keep it under the radar?” he asked.

“By using our personal laptops,” Garcia said as she and Kevin both brought machines out from under their desks. “We should be able to link into the Wi-Fi without calling attention to it.”

“Okay, permission to ‘Go Rogue’,” Rossi told them. “However, you begin by checking on all the Las Vegas staff – both FBI and FAA. I want a complete report on everyone involved in this. And, it is for me **ONLY** – Understood?”

“No problem, Sir,” Kevin spoke up. “I’ll get right on it!”

“And, I’ll start on several items I have thought of,” Garcia told him as she began attacking her laptop.

“Now, as for you two,” Rossi turned to Reid and Emma. “Take these and do your running around. Just be careful!” He handed Reid the keys to the luxury car he had rented.

“Would we be anything else?” Emma asked pertly, giving him a smile and a kiss on the cheek.

As they walked away down the hallway, Rossi noticed that Reid, after hesitating for a moment, reached over and took hold of Emma’s hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning - Cliffhanger!! I will be off on my fall holiday trip, but don't give up! I will be back to rescue the team and move Reid and Emma's relationship forward - Promise!


	29. Chapter 29

“By the way, where is my father?” Reid asked as he started Rossi’s luxury rental car. “I haven’t seen him lately.”

“He’s on the phone with Bear going over the map of the area in question,” Emma told him with a smile. “They are double checking to make sure the entire national forest area is being covered. Now I know where you got your love of geographic profiling!”

“Your apartment?” Reid questioned as he pulled out of the FAA's parking lot.

“Maybe – No – Not really,” was Emma’s reply. “I’ve been thinking – “

“About what?” Reid pulled the car over to the side of the street and put it into ‘Park’.

“About that phone call,” Emma said thoughtfully. “After the caller insisted on talking to Rossi, they said they were going for ‘a cold treat and a walk in the garden’, right?”

“Yes?”

“Well, that sounds like Rossi’s and my plans for Friday night,” Emma told him. “First, the ice cream stand where I work, and I had asked Rossi if we could end the evening with a walk through the conservatory at the Bellagio.”

“You think someone might have overheard you?” Reid questioned.

“That is a possibility,” Emma said thoughtfully. “So, maybe we should go take a look.”

“It could very well be a trap,” Reid warned as he pulled the car back onto the street and headed towards the Bellagio. “Maybe we should tell Rossi where we are going.”

“It’s probably nothing,” Emma dismissed the suggestion. “And, we’ll be careful. After all, who would try anything when we are in the middle of a crowd of people?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Famous last words??


	30. Chapter 30

“Coffee,” Reid moaned as he drove down the street towards the Bellagio Hotel. “I need coffee!”

“I thought I saw you drinking a cup earlier, while we were waiting for the call to come in,” Emma told him.

“That – stuff – was okay, but now that we are out of there, I want some real coffee,” Reid exclaimed. “And, if it is still there, there is a place coming up on the right.”

“There should be a coffee place in the hotel,” Emma pointed out.

“We would have to look for it,” Reid countered. “I know where this is and I can run in and be out again in a few minutes. That way when we get to the Bellagio we can immediately start focusing on the people there. This will be much more time efficient.”

He maneuvered the car into the parking lot of a small strip mall and quickly found a parking spot. 

“Do you want anything?” he remembered to ask as he unfastened his seat belt.

“Let me come in with you,” Emma suggested as she undid her own belt. “They should have some pastries in there and I am getting a bit hungry. Those breakfast sandwiches did not do anything for me this morning. If I can get something with fruit in it, maybe I can convince myself I am eating something healthy.”

“You do realize that the sugar content of professionally manufactured pastries on the average exceeds - ,” Reid began.

“Spencer,” Emma interrupted him. “Let’s just go in and see what they have in their bakery case. You can tell me all about it later.” She grabbed her purse and backpack and began following Reid across the parking lot.

“I am going to get one of their fall specialty coffees,” Reid announced cheerfully as headed towards the coffee shop. Emma smiled as she noticed the he was walking progressively faster as he caught the scent of the freshly brewed coffee inside.

As Emma sprinted after him, trying to catch up, neither she nor Reid noticed that a white delivery van had not only followed them into the parking lot, but was now trailing along behind them.

“Spencer!” Reid heard Emma call out from behind him. He slowed down slightly and turned his head to look over his shoulder.

“Spencer - Help!!” her shrieking voice caused him to come to a complete stop and turn completely around.

The side door of the white van was standing open and a slender man, dressed as a workman, had grabbed Emma and was trying to wrestle her towards it. As Reid watched, Emma slammed her elbow into her captor’s midsection while simultaneously stomping on his foot.

As the man let go of Emma and stumbled backwards, doubled over in agony, a second man, also wearing workman’s garb, emerged from the back of the van and grabbed Emma. 

“Emma!” Reid sprinted forwards and attempted to wrestle Emma away from the second man. As he and the stranger grappled over Emma, a third man climbed out of the driver’s seat of the van and attacked them.

Emma finally managed to break loose and then jumped on the back of the latest addition to the group, beating and clawing him about his head, neck, and ears. Neither she nor Reid realized that the first assailant had apparently recovered from his initial injuries and was now coming up behind Reid with a large stone from one of the decorative planters in his hand.

As he realized that he had been hit on the back of his head and was passing out, the last thing Reid remembered was the look on Sadie’s face as she told him, “Take good care of her.” And, his final thought was, “Bear is going to kill me!”


	31. Chapter 31

“Agents?” the guard from the front desk walked into the FAA conference room holding an 8½” x 11” manila envelope aloft in a gloved hand.

“Yes?” Agent Mitchell replied.

“A courier just delivered this to the front desk,” the guard replied. “We ran it through the scanner and it appears to be clean.”

“It is addressed to?” Rossi questioned.

“The Agent In Charge,” the guard read the label on the front of the envelope. 

“I’ll take that,” Agent Mitchell replied as he took out a pair of gloves and put them on before accepting the envelope.

“Let’s take it into a small office before opening it,” Rossi suggested. “It probably doesn’t contain anything dangerous, but there is no sense in taking chances.”

As the two agents were heading out of the conference room, the phone rang. 

“Wait,” Rossi counseled as the phone rang a second time. Finally, after the third ring, he nodded to Agent Mitchell to pick up the receiver.

“Agent Mitchell,” the man answered the phone.

“I want to speak to Agent Rossi,” a hollow sounding voice came through the line.

“One moment please.” Agent Mitchell handed the receiver to Rossi who hesitated a moment before answering.

“This is Agent Rossi,” he spoke into the receiver.

“Agent Rossi,” the voice came over the line. “I know you just received an envelope via courier – Open it.”

“That’s not exactly protocol,” Rossi was stalling for time. 

“That doesn’t matter,” was the reply. “I can assure you that you and your people will not be hurt in any way by the contents of the envelope. I can also assure you that the contents are indeed genuine. Look them over and be ready to talk when I call back.”

The line went dead.

Rossi glanced over at the technician handling the tracking and recording equipment. The woman shook her head. “They weren’t on the line long enough,” she sighed. “Although I did manage to narrow the area down to somewhere around here.”

“Well, here goes,” Rossi laid the envelope flat on the conference room table and deftly slit it open with his pocketknife. When he slid out the contents, the agents saw that there were five photographs lying on the table. All of them appeared to be recent pictures of Agents Hotchner, Jareau, Morgan, and Blake, inside what appeared to be a metal room.

One picture showed them sitting on what appeared to be army cots, eating. “Field rations,” Cruz observed. “And, definitely not posed. JJ would never allow herself to be photographed with her mouth open like that.”

Another picture showed them sitting on the cots reading, while a third photo showed them apparently playing a game on a piece of paper. The fourth picture showed them asleep on the cots, while the final picture showed them attempting to bowl using empty water bottles for pins.

Cruz looked at Rossi. “What do you think?”

“They appear to be genuine,” Rossi replied slowly as he closely examined the pictures. “We will, of course, have to have them analyzed but I would assume these are being sent as proof that all four are alive and being well treated.”

“Our next move?” Agent Grant questioned.

“We play back the call and analyze it, examine the pictures for clues, and wait for the next call,” Rossi told him. 

Rossi took out his cell phone and pushed a button. “I also need to get Reid back here,” he said.

After several rings, his call went to voice mail. 

“Reid, call me ASAP,” Rossi spoke into the phone. “I need both you and Emma to come back here.”


	32. Chapter 32

“We start with the call?” Dan Mills guessed.

“Yes,” Cruz replied. “Let me get Garcia in here. She can begin by isolating the background noise as well as trying to find a match to the voice pattern.” He took out his cell phone and pushed a button.

Rossi, meanwhile, was repeatedly shaking his cell phone and then checking the screen. “That’s strange," he commented. “Reid didn’t answer his phone and he isn’t calling back. That’s not like him. Let me try Emma.”

He pushed another button, waited, and then spoke into the phone. “Emma, it’s Dave, please call me.”

“Maybe they are – you know - busy,” Agent Mitchell grinned at him. “After all, they are married.”

“It’s not like that – “ Rossi began. He was interrupted by Garcia bustling into the conference room and taking a seat in front of the recording equipment.

“Okay, let’s see what you have,” she said as began pushing various buttons.

It didn’t take long before the group was listening to the sound of passing vehicles that had been extracted from the background of the phone call.

“Sounds like – “ Cruz hesitated to think.

“It seems to be echoing off a low roof,” Agent Mitchell observed.

“A parking garage?” Rossi suggested. “There are enough of them on the strip. Every hotel has at least one.”

“Or at the airport,” Cruz pointed out. “How close is the nearest one to this building?”

“Less than a block,” Frank Caldwell told him. “You can see right into it from our front door.”

“That’s how whoever this is knew that the envelope had been delivered,” Cruz realized. “They were probably standing in the garage watching.”

“Add about fifteen minutes for the guard to clear it, and then call,” Agent Grant exclaimed.

Rossi was again shaking his cell phone and then looking at the screen.

“Sir?” Garcia asked.

“Neither Reid nor Emma have returned my call,” Rossi worried. “Garcia – Can you?”

“Track their cell phones? Of course, Sir,” Garcia replied as she moved over to an unused computer sitting at the end of the table and attacked the keyboard.

“And, I’ll get Kevin started on the security cameras from the parking garage,” Cruz decided.

“Oh – Oh!” Garcia looked up from her computer screen.

“Not good?” Rossi guessed.

“Not good,” the tech confirmed. “I have located both of their phones in the general area of what appears to be a strip mall just off The Strip.”

“My rental car?” Rossi questioned.

“Same place,” Garcia told him. “And, it appears it hasn’t moved for a while.”

“What is in the strip mall?” Cruz questioned.

“A coffee shop,” Garcia told him ruefully. “That must be why they pulled in there. Reid was probably going through caffeine withdrawal.”

Cruz looked over at Agent Mitchell. “You have some agents available to go take a look?” he questioned.

“They are on their way,” Agent Mitchell nodded to Agent Grant, who pulled out his cell phone and began pushing numbers.


	33. Chapter 33

“Sir – Agent Rossi?” The group had moved to the office that Kevin and Garcia were using, and Kevin was staring at his computer screen. “I have the security cameras in the airport parking structure on the screen.”

“Anything stand out?” Cruz asked.

“Try the third level,” Frank Caldwell suggested. “That’s the level with the best view of our front door.”

“Okay,” Kevin pushed a few keys. “Here we are.”

“Go back to about half an hour before the envelope was delivered,” Rossi instructed. “Whoever this is, they had to have had time to get into position.”

The agents all moved to stand behind Kevin so they could watch the screen as Kevin began running the film.

“Stop!” Agent Mitchell suddenly instructed the tech. “Now, back up about a minute. Right there!” He pointed at the screen.

As everyone watched, a small, dark car pulled into a parking space facing the outer wall and an individual wearing a hooded sweatshirt, with the hood pulled up over their head, and jeans got out of the passenger’s seat. They walked over to the wall, took out a pair of binoculars, and began peering in the direction of the FAA building.

“Can you zoom in on them?” Agent Mitchell asked. “I can’t tell if that is a man or a woman.”

“We also can’t tell who is driving the car,” Rossi pointed out.

Kevin began carefully manipulating the picture and in a few seconds had the individual in better focus. 

“I would say a – man,” Agent Mitchell guessed. “Look at the way they are moving. But, with that hood over their head, I can’t see if there are any distinguishing features and, as loose as that top is, we can only guess at their physique.”

“Now the car,” Rossi requested.

Kevin changed the focus of the screen to the car, which was then carefully examined. “Temporary license plate, probably stolen,” Rossi observed. “And, from this angle we can’t tell who is driving.”

“Let’s watch further,” Frank Caldwell requested.

As the agents watched, the individual peered into the distance for about 20 minutes and then pulled out a cell phone. Holding a mechanical device in front of their mouth, they spoke briefly, and then closed the phone. After they had gotten back into the passenger’s side of the car, the vehicle pulled out of the parking space and drove out of the parking structure. Kevin picked it up on security cameras as it passed through the various levels, but at no time could the agents get a clear view of who was driving. Once the vehicle left the airport area, it was quickly lost in traffic.


	34. Chapter 34

“Well, this gives us a better perspective on these unsubs,” Agent Mitchell observed. “They definitely have this planned down to the last detail.”

“They are detail oriented,” Rossi agreed as his cell phone rang. He looked at the screen and then opened it.

“Agent Rossi,” he answered.

“Okay, what did you find?” he questioned the caller.

“Nothing at all? I assume you have talked to employees of the stores that share the parking lot?” he continued his questions.

Rossi glanced over at the others in the room. “The agents who went to see if they could find Reid and Emma,” he explained.

“And?” Cruz questioned.

“Nothing,” Rossi reported. “The car is still sitting there, locked up and untouched, with no sign of either Reid or Emma. Their cell phones were found in a street-side trash container about half a block away. Several of the employees in the coffee shop think they saw a white delivery van in the area, but they can’t remember any identifying marks.”

“Security cameras?” Agent Grant questioned.

“None at an angle where it could pick up that part of the parking lot,” Rossi reported.

He looked over at Cruz. “I would suggest we get the locals involved in the search,” he suggested. “We don’t have to tell them about the plane.”

“Good idea,” Cruz agreed. “The locals have eyes and ears on the streets and they know who in the area is capable of pulling off something like this. That way we can concentrate on locating the plane and our missing agents.”

“Did you hear that?” Rossi spoke into the phone. “Contact the locals and have them send their CSI team over to examine the area. Stay there until they arrive. Also, have them issue a BOLO for both Dr. Reid and Dr. Porter. Tell them that we are missing two agents – But that is all you tell them – Understand?”

“Good,” Rossi closed up his phone. “Now, who is going to tell Mr. Reid that his son and daughter-in-law are missing?”


	35. Chapter 35

“What do you mean Spencer and Emma have disappeared?” Mr. Reid yelled at Rossi. “How could you let this happen?”

“You need to understand, we had no idea anyone was interested in them,” Rossi tried explaining to the irate father.

“You had no idea?” the man repeated loudly. “Dave, didn’t you stop to think? Whoever this is, they already have the rest of your team. Didn’t it dawn on you that they might come back for you and Spencer? And, they took Emma, too!”

“We didn’t think they would take that chance,” Cruz interrupted him. “Up until now, they have been organized and controlled. Grabbing two people out of a parking lot doesn’t fit their profile.”

“So, now you are saying that this is another group of crazies that has my son and his wife?” Mr. Reid demanded. “Who the heck - “

He broke off as his cell phone rang. Taking it out, he glanced at the screen and then, with a puzzled look, turned it on.

“Will Reid,” he answered the call.

“Hyde?” he questioned. “Yes, it has been a long time. You’re still working out of the North Las Vegas police station? Oh, you’re the Lead Detective out there now?”

He listened for a minute. “Yes, that is my son that you got the BOLO on,” he told the detective. “And his wife, Emma. Spencer was in town with the FBI working on a case and apparently they were both abducted.”

Again, he listened for a minute. “Thanks, Hyde, I really appreciate that,” he replied. “The more people we have looking for them, the better.”

He clicked off his cell phone and looked at Cruz and Rossi. “That was an old friend of mine at the North Las Vegas police station,” he told them. “The BOLO has already gone out?”

“We’re not wasting any time starting the search,” Cruz assured him.

“We figured the local PDs would be in a better position than us to carry it out,” Rossi continued. “They know the area and the people.”

“Can I at least go out to where the car is?” Will Reid requested. “I want to see it for myself.”

“I don’t see any reason why not,” Cruz replied. “As long as you stay out of the way of the local investigators and the CSI team. And, whatever you do, don’t say anything about the missing plane. We still want to keep that under wraps.”

“No problem!” Will Reid was heading out of the room when Rossi’s phone rang.

Rossi frowned at the screen and then pushed a button. “Rossi.”

Will Reid paused to listen.

“Detective Burnside?” Rossi questioned. “Of course I remember you! After all, that was only – what – six months ago?”

Rossi listened for a minute before replying. “Yes, you read the BOLO right. It is really Dr. Reid and Emma who are missing. We were in town working a case and they were snatched.”

Again, he listened. “About an hour ago,” he replied. “Your CSI team is already on the way to the scene to examine it and collect evidence.”

“Thanks, we really appreciate it,” he concluded the conversation. “And, yes, I’ll let Will Reid know, too.” He closed his phone and looked around.

“Detective Burnside?” Will Reid questioned, surprised. “He called you?”

“He saw the BOLO,” Rossi explained. “And, he remembers how we helped him break up that gang and solve all those open murder cases he had on the books. He wanted to assure me that his guys are all over it.”

Rossi thought for a moment. “What you just said about two groups of crazies,” he told Will Reid slowly. “Garcia?”

“Already working on it, Sir,” Garcia replied. “I assume you are referring to finding Moira Donovan, right?”

“Right,” Rossi told her. “And, you have found?”

“Something really crazy,” Garcia told him. “It appears that she has been shuttling back and forth between here and DC on a rather irregular basis. I can find her airline tickets and I can find credit card purchases in DC, but can’t seem to locate any hotel bills at either end. And, I can’t seem to find anything at all once she lands in Vegas.”

“She is probably staying with family in the DC area,” Cruz suggested. “But here, in Vegas?”

“I have no idea,” Garcia confessed. “Once she gets here, she appears to completely disappear.”

“Where is she now?” Will Reid asked.

“Judging from her most recent plane ticket, she is here in Vegas,” Garcia replied. “But I don’t know exactly where.”

“Well, keep looking. Even if she is using cash she has to leave a trail somewhere,” Rossi told her. “And, if she is the one who grabbed Reid and Emma, she had to have had help. Someone like that won’t stay quiet for long.”

“Looking further even as we speak,” Garcia assured him.

"And I will call the LVPD and have a BOLO put out on Moira Donovan," Rossi pulled out his cell phone.

“In the meantime, I’m still going down to where the car is parked to see what is going on,” Will Reid announced as he headed out the door.


	36. Chapter 36

When Reid regained consciousness, he was lying on his back on a hard, flat surface, surrounded by darkness. It took him a minute to realize that the darkness was caused by a blindfold which had been tied tightly over his eyes. And, when he tried to maneuver his arms and legs into a more comfortable position, he realized that his hands were securely tied behind his back while his ankles were fastened together.

Struggling didn’t seem likely to accomplish anything, so he lay still and tried to get a feel for his surroundings. He could tell that whatever he was in was moving because he could feel a steady forward motion. Then, as he continued trying to analyze his surroundings, an up and down jolting movement was added to the forward momentum. Obviously, they were now traveling over some very uneven terrain.

“Emma,” he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t been alone when he had been knocked unconscious and captured. “Emma, are you here?” he called out anxiously.

“I’m right here, Spencer,” the reply came from somewhere close by. “It sounds like you finally woke up. How do you feel?”

“A headache,” Reid replied thoughtfully. “Other than that – Do you know where we are?”

“We are still in the van they stuffed me into when they grabbed us,” Emma replied. “Other than that, I can’t tell. They tied me up and blindfolded me.”

“Me, too,” Reid replied. “Hello! Is anyone there?”

“Don’t bother,” Emma told him. “Obviously, someone is here with us because someone is driving, but they’re not talking. All we can do is lay still and wait.”

After bumping over rough roads for what seemed like forever, the van came to a sudden halt, and Reid and Emma could hear both the driver’s and the passenger’s doors open as whoever was in the front seat got out. Then, the cargo door opened and they were pulled from the back of the van and unceremoniously dumped on the ground.

“Okay,” a man’s voice rasped. “This looks like a good place for the two of you.”

“Where are we?” Emma questioned.

“Just where you need to be,” another man replied. “Some place where you can’t cause any trouble.”

As Emma and Reid lay on the hard ground, they heard the van’s doors slam shut and then it began driving away. After going a short distance, it stopped and they could hear a door open and then slam shut again, and then the van drove off into the distance.

“Spencer, where are you?” Emma called out as she lay on the ground.

“Over here,” Reid replied. “I’m still blindfolded and tied up, what about you?”

“The same,” Emma confirmed. “However, my blindfold seems to be working its way up on one side. Let me try rubbing my head against the ground and see if I can move it up further so I can see.”

It didn’t take long before the corner of Emma’s blindfold began to work its way up and off of her eye.

“Okay!” Emma declared. “I now have partial sight out of my right eye. Let me see if I can spot you.”

She struggled to sit up and then began turning her head. “Spencer, are you that dark blue blob I see to my right?” she asked.

“I do have on a pair of dark blue trousers,” Reid replied. “So, your assumption is probably correct. Can you get over here? I’ll keep talking so you’ll have an idea of which direction you need to head in.”

Emma carefully rolled and then crawled over to Reid, who was busily recounting the most recent Dr. Who episode. She then positioned herself behind him, placing her head so it was in front of his hands.

“Now, forget about The Doctor and see if you can move my blindfold and get it off me,” she instructed him.

After some pulling by Reid, the blindfold came off, and then it was Emma’s turn to work on Reid’s blindfold. Once they both could see, Reid managed to sit up and he began examining the restraints holding Emma’s hands behind her back.

“I assumed they were using plastic cuffs,” Reid observed. “But, now I see that whoever this is they used rope.”

“Okay,” Emma was surveying the surrounding area. “We need to find something really sharp that can cut through it.”

“Maybe not,” Reid replied, thoughtfully. “Give me a minute.”

As Emma watched, she could tell that Reid’s hands and arms were making small, defined movements. And, within a few minutes, Reid was rolling his shoulders and bringing his hands around in front of him.

“Spencer, how did you do that?” Emma demanded.

“Magicians never tell their secrets,” Reid told her seriously.

“Magicians?” Emma asked.

“One of my hobbies,” Reid explained shyly.

“Dr. Reid, there are still so many things I need to learn about you,” Emma said in amazement.

“Another time,” Reid told her as he began working on the ropes holding his ankles together.

“It’s a good thing these guys, whoever they are, are old school,” he added. “If they had used plastic cuffs – “

He quickly got his legs free and began working on Emma’s restraints.

“Did you get any indication of who it was who grabbed us?” he asked as he untied the ropes.

“No - Nothing,” Emma replied as she brought her hands around in front of her and began wriggling her fingers. “They didn’t say much other than to call me some rather obscene names because of the way I was struggling.”

“I certainly hope that one guy isn’t planning on fathering any children in the near future,” she smirked.

“Fathering any children?” Reid repeated, puzzled. Suddenly, he grimaced. “Oh!”

“Yeah!” Emma told him. “I didn’t go quietly. Unfortunately, we were outnumbered from the start and, after that one guy hit you on the head with a rock and knocked you out, I didn’t stand a chance.”

Reid had finished untying her ankles and she stretched her legs out in front of her and began rotating her feet, trying to get the feeling back in them.

“Ouch!” she commented. “That hurts!”

“It will take a few minutes,” Reid told her as he looked around at the arid landscape surrounding them.

“Do you have any idea where we are?” he asked as he carefully stood up.

“Definitely off the beaten path,” Emma observed as she also got to her feet. “I can barely see the tire tracks where the van drove in here, and I don’t hear any traffic or see any buildings.”

“Maybe we can follow the tire tracks to get out of here.” Reid bent over trying to get a better look.

“Probably not,” he concluded. “This dirt is so hard I don’t think we could follow them any distance.”

“Spencer, do you think that is a wise idea anyway?” Emma asked. “What if they come back? We don’t want them grabbing us a second time.”

“And, if they do come back here, we definitely don’t want them finding us,” she continued. “I would suggest that we move behind that pile of rocks over there where we will be out of sight.” She nodded towards an abstract pile of rocks a short distance away.

“You’re right,” Reid admitted as he looked around again. “And, on our way out of here, we will also want to avoid any busy roads or expressways. We don’t know what they or their vehicle look like so we won’t know who or what to avoid.”

He looked at Emma seriously. “That leave us with one option,” he told her.

“We are going to take a cross-country hike?” Emma guessed.


	37. Chapter 37

“First things first,” Emma declared. “That looks like my backpack and purse over there. Let me retrieve them before we move behind that rock pile. We can start by taking inventory of what we have as far as survival supplies are concerned.”

Once they were concealed behind the rock pile, it didn’t take long to go through Emma’s belongings as well as Reid’s pockets.

“Three bottles of water, two power bars, three granola bars, and five breath mints. Plus, my hoodie and some other incidental pieces of clothing,” Emma reported, indicating the items they had arrayed on the ground in front of them. “As well as assorted make-up, pens, and paper.”

“Our phones are both gone, as well as my weapon and ID,” Reid added. “Also my watch. We both still have our wallets and credit cards.”

“Money and credit cards aren’t going to do us much good out here in the middle of nowhere,” Emma remarked as she looked around.

“How far do you think we are from town?” Reid asked. “Do you have any idea of how long we were in that van?”

“I have no idea,” Emma shrugged her shoulders. “But, more importantly, which direction is town? If we’re not careful, we could be walking in the wrong direction forever. Let’s see if we can figure this out.”

She leaned forward and drew a rough oval in the dirt in front of her.

“Let’s say this is Las Vegas,” she began. “North is up here, which means that the airport where we started from is down here on the bottom.” She put an X at the bottom of the oval.

“We were traveling parallel to the strip, which means we were headed north, and were right about here when we were grabbed,” Reid added another X.

“Now, once the van got moving, I could feel a lot of stopping and starting along with some turns,” Emma recalled. “That leads me to believe that we were going through a residential neighborhood, which means we were headed either east or west.”

“It was about noon when we were grabbed,” Reid remembered. “The sun would have been directly overhead and, as the day progressed, it would have moved to the west of town.”

“Okay, after the stops and turns, then what?” he asked.

“Some smooth pavement,” Emma closed her eyes as she thought. “And we were moving a lot faster. Also, it seemed to me that the sun was on the driver’s side of the van.”

“Expressway,” Reid diagnosed. “Heading north. There are two possibilities, Highway 95 and Highway 15.” He added two lines in the dirt. “What then?”

“A slower strip of roadway, still smooth, and then a bumpy road,” Emma told him. “Very bumpy. And, I think that at that point we were headed into the sun. I seem to remember hearing the driver putting the sun visor down. That would mean we were headed roughly west.”

“I think that is about when I regained consciousness,” Reid told her. He looked at their rough map.

“Well, that puts us somewhere either north or northwest of town,” he declared, standing up. “If we keep the sun to our right as we walk we should be headed in the right direction.”

“Just a minute,” Emma looked up at him as she spoke. “Before we go traipsing off into who knows where, maybe we had better put on some sunscreen. I don’t know about you, but I definitely am not used to being outside for extended periods of time. And, there is no sense in us being any more uncomfortable than we need to be.”

“Sit back down,” she instructed him. “I’ll put some on your face and the back of your neck, and then you can do mine. We can each do the backs of our own hands. Thankfully, we are both wearing long sleeves. And, let me check, I think the lip balm I have in my purse has an SPF factor.”

“Sunscreen?” Reid questioned surprised. “You have sunscreen?”

“Standard equipment in my backpack,” Emma told him. “I do live in Las Vegas.”

“And, Spencer,” she added. “You may want to take off your jacket and tie. You are rather overdressed for this expedition.”

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

In a poorly lit room of an extended stay hotel in a downtrodden section of Las Vegas, a dark haired woman was yelling into a cell phone.

“You did **WHAT?”** she shrieked. “That is not what I told you to do – You were to only grab the girl! I did not get you out of Bennington so you could screw this up!”

She listened for a moment and then started again. “I don’t care if it was easier to grab both of them. You were only to take the girl!”

She listened some more. “NO! Do not go back there - Assuming you can find the place! We’ll wait until tomorrow morning and then figure out a way to make it look like you are rescuing them by accident. They should be able to survive one night out there on the desert without any problems.”

“And, NO I am not helping you get rid of the van,” she concluded. “You stole it - You can get rid of it!”

Angrily she turned the phone off and then flung herself across the bed. “Imbeciles!”


	38. Chapter 38

SSA David Rossi was taking deep breaths and determinedly reminding himself that this was not the time nor the place to panic. True, the majority of his team, along with their plane, was missing, and now his compadre, the one person he had left who he could depend on, was also missing. Now was the time for him to step back, take stock, and determine what he could control. Then, he needed to admit what was beyond his control and act accordingly. Besides, he still had his trusty computer technicians. If anyone could help, they could. 

He smiled as he thought about Penelope and her determination to always find the good in the world around her. Taking another deep breath, he rounded up both Agent Mitchell and Chief Cruz, and the three of them headed to the office where Garcia and Kevin had established their lair.

“Please, tell me you have something good,” Rossi requested as the three men took seats facing the two computer techs.

“Yes and no,” Garcia told them. “Let’s start with the missing plane and the pictures we received.”

“After looking at the pictures those yucky guys sent us, I came up with a list of items that would have had to have been purchased to construct and stock the room that our team is being held in,” she began. 

“First, the MRE’s. Various brands of those are available at both sporting goods and army surplus stores all over town. However, the labels on the ones our guys were being treated to belong to a very popular brand available almost everywhere, as well as on-line. I checked, and none of the local outlets have suddenly needed an extraordinarily large supply of them. The same goes for on-line shipments into this area. I also tried checking credit cards and it appears that if someone is purchasing these meals at various locations throughout the area, they must be using cash. So, that basically is a dead end. The same can be said for the army cots our missing team members appear to be sleeping on. Standard issue, available everywhere, and the purchase of six of them wouldn’t stand out.”

“However,” Garcia continued. “I then started thinking about what would be required to conceal a plane. And, the first thing that came to mind was camouflage netting. So, that was where I went next. There appears to be a goodly amount of that sold locally through sporting goods as well as army surplus stores. Again, there didn’t appear to be any extra large orders in the area. And, I also went through purchases made with credit cards to see if anyone was making multiple purchases at various locations. That didn’t turn up anything, so I started looking into on-line purchases. That is where I found one purchase that was made using a postal money order. It didn’t give me a name, but I did get the address it was shipped to – “

“And that is?” Rossi asked impatiently.

“The same address as of one of the names we got through Mr. Reid’s contacts,” Garcia announced. “Initially, Alan Khan seemed clean, but I am now taking another, closer look at that him.”

“We need to bring him in for questioning,” Cruz declared. “Name and address?”

“Sent to your and Rossi’s phones, along with a current picture,” Garcia confirmed as she pushed several keys on her keyboard. 

“Send it to Agent Mitchell’s phone as well,” Cruz requested, looking over at the other agent. 

“Send Agent Grant?” he suggested.

“I don’t know where Moe is at the moment,” Agent Mitchell replied as he checked the screen of his cell. “He has a wife and two kids, so I assume he is holed up somewhere touching base with them. It has been several days since he has been home. Let me see who else is available to go.” He stood up and walked out of the office.

After waiting to make sure the door had securely closed behind Agent Mitchell, Kevin spoke up.

“I have some information for you, too,” he told Rossi. “It concerns the search you asked me to do on all the local people – FAA as well as FBI.”

“Did you find anything?” Rossi asked as Cruz sat quietly listening.

“In my initial search, no,” Kevin reported. “It appears that all the locals are good agents as well as solid citizens. Their personnel files show several commendations and minimal disciplinary report. Their taxes are all paid on time, and there are no unusually large deposits or withdrawals being made to their bank accounts. However, I am going back to do a secondary check looking into their extended families and their associates.”

“Good idea,” Rossi commended him. “You never know what you will find there.”

“I also checked on police reports for the area in question,” Kevin continued. “And, after looking into both state police and sheriff’s departments’ records, as well as forest service reports, I think I found something. It appears that vehicles from the Secure Facilities Construction Company have been ticketed three times over the past eight months while driving through the southern edge of the national forest. When I checked the company’s website, it said that they specialize in building ‘secure facilities’. Which makes this doubly strange because there are no facilities, secure or otherwise, being built either in the national forest or in the surrounding areas. I am currently checking into the ownership of the company.”

“Check quickly,” Rossi requested. “The sooner we know where to look, the better.”

His cell phone rang and he quickly checked the text message. “Got to go,” he announced. “It appears our hijackers have called back and they are asking to speak with me.”


	39. Chapter 39

“Agent Rossi,” Rossi’s voice came over the speakers as he answered the phone in the conference room.

“So good of you to take the time to speak with me, Agent Rossi,” the hollow-sounding voice was back. “However, your delay will necessarily shorten this conversation. You have seen the pictures?”

“Yes, we have,” Rossi affirmed. “It would appear that you managed to successfully abduct four of our agents, as well as steal a government jet.”

“That is correct,” was the response. “And, we assume you want it all back. So, this is what it will take – “

“You do know that the US Government doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, don’t you?” Rossi interrupted.

“Who said we are terrorists?” was the reply. “View us as unconventional entrepreneurs who intend to invest their hard gotten gains abroad. And, let me assure you, our demands are not open to negotiation.”

“Unconventional?” Rossi questioned.

“Agent Rossi, if you want to see your agents again, I would suggest you start listening,” the voice continued unperturbed. “You need to assemble $5 million in cash, as well as another $20 million to be sent via a wire transfer to a location which will be provided to you. You will also need to requisition a Black Hawk helicopter for our use. It is the middle of the afternoon on Monday, so you can get started immediately. You will be contacted in approximately two hours with further instructions.”

“I don’t know about the helicopter,” Rossi began.

“Try Nellis Air Force Base,” was the brief reply as the phone went dead.

“Sorry,” the track-and-trace technician declared. “They weren’t on the line long enough for me to determine exactly where the call originated. However, the general area they were calling from is on the northeast edge of town.”

“I didn’t expect you to,” Rossi assured her. “These guys, whoever they are, are good. However, I think we can safely say that the call came from whoever has the team. Now, about the ransom – “ He turned to look at Cruz.

“Well, they do have Black Hawks at Nellis,” Cruz replied as he turned on his cell phone. “And, I do have a contact over at The State Department who should be able to help.”

“And, from what he said, I would guess they don’t have Reid and Emma,” Rossi added thoughtfully.


	40. Chapter 40

“Have you heard anything?” Will Reid demanded a short time later as he charged into the conference room. “Have you found Spencer and Emma?”

“Not yet,” Rossi replied, looking up from the paperwork he had been studying. “What did you find at the scene?”

“Your rental car is sitting there waiting to be towed to the evidence garage,” Will Reid reported. “The CSI team doesn’t seem to think they will find anythinvg, but they are being thorough.”

“Their cell phones were both found in a trash bin about half a block away,” he continued. “There didn’t appear to be any fingerprints on either of them and there was nothing in either of the call histories to indicate who did this. Also, Emma’s purse and backpack are missing. The assumption is that whoever grabbed them took those, too. And, there don’t appear to be any witnesses.”

“Other than that,” he shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know what else anyone can do. They are gone and I feel so helpless.”

“They are out there somewhere,” Rossi assured him. “We just need to think about this. Let’s go talk with Garcia. She was looking into something for me.”

“ _Bella_ ,” Rossi greeted Garcia as he walked into the office she was using. “Have you found anything on – “

“What?” he questioned when he saw the woebegone look on her face.

“I’m sorry,” Garcia tried unsuccessfully to smile at the two men. “But, I just can’t shake the feeling that I’m not accomplishing anything. My team is out there and my BFF is out there, and I’m not finding anything to help any of them!”

“Talk to her – Please!” Kevin requested. “Convince her that she is doing some good. She won’t listen to me.”

“Listen, _Bella_ ,” Rossi pulled a chair over to sit next to her. “I know that sometimes it seems like things are going nowhere, but you always manage to come through. You just need to have some faith in yourself!”

“Thanks,” Garcia sniffled, as her computer began dinging.

“Okay,” she brightened a bit as she checked the screen. “It appears that the North Las Vegas police have just discovered an abandoned white delivery van. They are currently checking to see if there is any indication that Reid and Emma were in it.”

“There you go!” Mr. Reid encouraged her. “That may be a start to figuring out who took Spencer and Emma.”

“And, you know what?” Rossi asked, thoughtfully.

“What?” Garcia replied.

“I have been thinking about what that first caller said,” Rossi told her. “And something in that second call sounded familiar. I finally realized what.”

“They said they were going for a cold treat and a walk in their garden,” Kevin reminded him.

“And?” Mr. Reid questioned.

“That sounds like Emma and my plans for Friday night,” Rossi realized. “The cold treat would be the ice cream stand where Emma works and she had asked me if we could go for a walk through the Bellagio’s conservatory after dinner.”

“Calling up the security tapes for the Bellagio Hotel’s conservatory,” Garcia declared as she attached her computer keyboard.

“That may have been where Spencer and Emma were headed when they were abducted,” Mr. Reid contributed. “That would account for their being on that particular street.”

“Okay, I’m into their security cameras system,” Garcia announced. “Let me go back to just before the call came in, and look forward from there.”

They had looked through almost half an hour of film before Rossi spotted her.

“Stop,” he instructed Garcia. “Now, right there.” He pointed at the screen.

“Who is that?” Mr. Reid questioned as Garcia focused the picture on the woman in question.

“Moira Donovan, the woman who is stalking Reid and Emma.” Kevin had moved to where he could also see the screen.

“Go forward, slowly,” Rossi instructed.

As the group watched, Moira restlessly walked from one end of the conservatory to the other several times, before moving off to one side and taking a seat on a slightly concealed bench. She then checked her watch, and waited some more. Finally, shaking her head, she took out her cell phone, dialed a number, and walked out of the conservatory talking on it.

By pulling up views from other security cameras, Garcia managed to follow Moira as she walked through the casino, out the front door, and over to a bus stop for a free shuttle bus running between the various hotels and casinos. The last they saw of her, she was climbing aboard one of the buses.

“What now?” Will Reid asked. “We can’t very well go through the security camera footage for all the casinos serviced by that bus service. And, who is to say she actually went inside a casino? When she got off the bus she may have just walked off down the street.”

“You are right,” Rossi admitted. “At the moment, Moira Donovan appears to be a dead end. However, - “

“What about the white van the police found?” Will Reid suggested. “Do you need anyone to go check on that? I know Detective Hyde out there at the North Las Vegas station and I am sure he will talk with me.”

“Good idea,” Cruz had finished talking to his contact at State and had joined them. “Why don’t you give him a call? See if you can get an update.”

“And, I will also check in with Bear,” Will Reid said as he took out his cell phone. “His guys should have finished surveying most of the main roads through the national park. I’ll give them the information on where the traffic tickets were issued so they can take a closer look at that area.”

Pushing buttons on his cell phone, Will Reid walked out into the hallway.


	41. Chapter 41

“JJ, will you just find a place to sit and sit!” Morgan demanded hotly. “There is no reason to keep checking. We all know this room is 15 ft by 25 ft and I am sure it hasn’t changed any in the past hour.”

“Morgan – Can’t you just shut it?” JJ snapped back. “If I want to walk around, I will walk around!”

“Okay, both of you,” Blake called out. “Please, try to calm down!”

“I am calm!” Morgan returned loudly. “It’s JJ who needs to – “

 **“Enough!”** Hotch thundered. “Now, I know we have a rule against profiling each other, but let me take a guess here.”

“JJ, you are worried about Henry and Will and are concerned about what they are going through knowing that you are missing. Let me assure you, I feel the same way about Jack. And, Morgan, you are so frustrated about being unable to figure a way to get out of here that you feel like punching the walls. If I thought it would do any good, I would be helping you. And, as for you, Blake, you are concerned about James and what he is going through, and all you want is to get out of here and let him know you are okay. Am I right?”

“Okay, okay, you’re right,” Morgan admitted. “But, Hotch, you have to agree. We need to do something about getting out of here!”

“We are stuck in here with a pile of trash which keeps getting larger and smellier,” Blake pointed at the corner which they had designated as their ‘midden’.”

“And a porta potty which, no matter how hard we try to keep it clean, still stinks,” JJ continued the diatribe.

“Not to mention that we are all tired of eating these pre-processed meals and I, for one, would kill for some fresh fruit,” Blake added, wrinkling up her nose as she glared at the shelves.

“Plus, we are all sleeping on these uncomfortable cots, with no end in sight,” Morgan concluded.

“I just want to smell some fresh air!” Blake complained, while JJ and Morgan nodded in agreement.

“Did it ever dawn on any of you that this might be what our captors want?” Hotch asked. “Maybe they are planning on our getting on each other’s nerves and fighting.”

“An interesting suggestion,” Blake said thoughtfully. “An experiment in how well profilers deal with stress?”

“If Spence were here, he would undoubtedly have suggestions for improvements to the overall design of the experiment,” JJ smiled at the thought.

“And, he would probably be volunteering to help analyze the results,” Hotch chuckled. “Now, we need a project - Something we can focus on.”

“You have a suggestion,” Blake guessed.

“Oh Yes!” Hotch smirked. “Seeing as how Morgan here is an expert in remodeling, I thought we could start by getting his thoughts on what he would do with this space.”

“You mean if we weren’t trapped in it?” Morgan questioned. “You are interested in how I would make it livable?”

“That’s right,” Hotch told him. “For example, I assume you would start by putting in some windows.”

“Oh yes!” Morgan assured him. He walked over to the right wall and began pointing. “Judging from the way the sun has been coming through the roof, I would assume this is east. I think a window right about here, approximately 4 ft by 4 ft, would be a good place to start.”

“What about a bow window?” Blake asked. “That way you would have a place to hang some plants, and maybe put in a window seat.”

“I would put a stone fireplace on that wall,” Hotch pointed towards the rock face which formed the back of the room. “And, possibly, some built-in shelves on either side of it.”

“Paint colors?” JJ said thoughtfully. “What about some earth tones?”

“Maybe I should start writing this down,” Blake suggested as she pulled out a notebook and a pen.

“Along with some sketches,” Morgan suggested as he leaned over her shoulder to help.


	42. Chapter 42

“Okay, sun on our right and eyes on the horizon,” Emma resolutely adjusted her backpack as she and Reid set out to walk across the seemingly endless flatland in front of them.

“Maybe if we set intermediate goals it might help,” Reid suggested. “That would also be a good way to ensure that we walk in a relatively straight line.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Emma agreed. “And, as our first goal, what about that pile of rocks?” She pointed to a small grouping ahead of them and slightly to the left.

“That should work, let’s go,” Reid approved her choice.

“And, you can pick our next objective,” Emma suggested. “That way we will get a balanced outlook.”

After reaching the group of rocks, Reid selected an old, abandoned car as their next goal. When they reached it, Emma looked around and then decided on a small group of cacti that were standing by themselves.

“Ready for a short rest stop?” she asked when they reached the cacti. She took her backpack off, set it on the ground, and sat down next to it.

“Yeah,” Reid agreed with he joined her on the ground. “What about some water?”

“You take one bottle and I’ll take another?” Emma suggested as she opened her backpack. “Then, when we are both out of water, we can share the last bottle.”

“Hopefully we will be out of here before then,” Reid accepted a bottle of water from her. “But, just in case – “

“Spencer, don’t think like that!” Emma exclaimed. “We are going to get out of here. And, when we do, we are going to find out who grabbed us and we are going to put them in jail for a very long time.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Reid said thoughtfully. “And, I don’t think the people who grabbed us as the same ones who hijacked the plane. There are just too many differences in the MO.”

“Well, we can sort that out later,” Emma declared, standing up. She looked around. “It looks like the sun is starting to set,” she observed. “Maybe we should think about finding a place to spend the night.”

“It gets cold out here after dark,” Reid remembered. “So, maybe someplace with shelter, seeing as how we don’t have any way to build a fire?”

“Shelter - Out here?” Emma questioned as she looked around at the never-ending flat countryside. “Okay, maybe over there,” she pointed into the distance.

“What?” Reid squinted.

“That rock - It appears to be bigger than the others,” Emma explained. “Maybe, we can huddle up against it.”

“It would have absorbed heat from the sun during the day,” Reid said thoughtfully. “And, it should radiate it back out again during the night.”

“All we can do is give it a try,” Emma declared as she shouldered her backpack. “Let’s go.”

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

The rock was further away than either of them had anticipated and evening was fast approaching when they finally reached it. When they got close enough to examine the rock, they realized that what they had seen was part of a larger outcropping, which presented them with several options for overnight shelter.

“It is taller than I imagined,” Emma looked up at the rock as she stood next to.

“And, I was right, it did absorb the day’s heat,” Reid put his hand on it. “Now, if we each sit with our backs against it, the heat should help keep us warm at least for a couple of hours.”

“First, dinner, and then I have another suggestion,” Emma sat down and began digging in her backpack. She pulled out two granola bars and handed one to Reid who was sitting next to her.

“Look at the length of the space we have available here in this little hollow,” she pointed out as they sat with their backs against the rock. “We could spend the night like this, sitting side-by-side, but I have another idea.”

Reid looked at her and waited.

“I have my hoodie with me,” Emma continued. “You, on the other hand, don’t have any type of warm clothing. Your sports jacket won’t hold much body heat and your tie isn’t going to do you any good. What I propose is that I put on my hoodie, which would cover my head as well as the back of my neck, as well as giving me a pocket to keep my hands warm. You could lay with your back against the rock, which would keep you warm, while I lay on the ground in front of you.”

“Your head and your hands would be covered,” Reid was thinking. “And, the majority of heat loss in the human body is through the head and other extremities. So you would be fairly well protected.”

“Better than you,” Emma pointed out. “And, by huddling together like that we will be able to conserve body heat and keep each other warm.”

“It sounds like it is worth a try,” Reid washed his last bite of granola bar down with a drink of water. “But, first,” he stood up and began looking around.

“Over there,” he suddenly pointed. “The lights from the strip - I thought we would be able to see them.”

“Well, we definitely have been heading in the right direction,” Emma observed. “Tomorrow morning we need to keep doing what we have been doing. Hopefully, we’ll run into civilization before long.”


	43. Chapter 43

After they had finished eating, Emma put on her hoodie, Reid put on his jacket, and they arranged themselves for the night, with Reid’s back against the rock and Emma on the outside.

“What about reptiles?” Reid worried suddenly.

“What about them?” Emma was squirming around, trying to get comfortable on the hard ground.

“What about if they, you know, join us,” Reid sounded decidedly uneasy. “They are cold blooded and it’s not unusual for them to seek out a heat source to keep warm.”

“That’s their risk,” Emma told him decisively. “If they get rolled on, they get rolled on!” She closed her eyes and prepared to sleep.

“You do know that there are estimates of between 20,000 and 125,000 people worldwide dying of snakebite each year, don’t you?” Reid questioned. “Although, the overwhelming majority of those are in third world countries.”

“Then there are the scorpions,” he continued. “Although most of their stings are generally considered non-life threatening there is always the chance – “

“Spencer, you have never spent the night on the desert, have you?” Emma interrupted as she opened her eyes and looked at him.

“Well, growing up in Vegas I did read about it a lot,” Reid prevaricated.

“But, you have never actually done it, have you?” Emma persisted.

“No,” Reid admitted. “You?”

“Mom and I went on several camping trips with The Devil Riders,” Emma remembered. “We rode the bikes out to a place the guys knew about and set up camp next to a spring. We took everything we needed with us on the bikes, so we pretty much just had the basics – Food, water, shelter.”

“Did you ever encounter any wildlife?” Reid still sounded nervous.

“Never anything to worry about,” Emma assured him.

“Of course, we did have a fire,” she added as an afterthought.

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

Reid and Emma were both exhausted from the events of the day and, despite Reid’s misgivings, it wasn’t long before they were both sleeping soundly.

Emma wasn’t sure what woke her, whether it was the hard object poking into her side or whether it was Reid’s calling out.

“Spencer,” she reached over to shake him but hesitated as she heard him call out again.

“Maeve,” he moaned in his sleep. “Maeve?”

Emma took a deep breath and moved to reach over and shake him. As she moved closer to Reid, she encountered **IT!** Oh Boy! Dr. Spencer Reid was definitely aroused and, judging by what he was saying, she was not the cause. After considering the potentially embarrassing situation for several minutes, Emma took a deep breath and moved to give Reid a little extra room. As she blinked back the tears in her eyes and tried hard to ignore him, Reid again called out in his sleep for his deceased girlfriend.

Somehow, she managed to fall back asleep.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers in the United States a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you are busy celebrating it with your friends and family. I also want to say that one of the things I am thankful for today is the fact that so many of you take the time to not only read my various stories but to also send me Kudos and comments. Thank You - On so many occasions, you make my day!

It was the early morning sun shining on her face that woke Emma. As she rolled over and sat up, she remembered Reid’s voice the night before, calling out for Maeve. Wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the early morning chill, she sadly shook her head as she realized that maybe, just maybe, her decision had finally been made for her.

“Hey, there,” Reid’s voice came from behind her. “Did you get any sleep?”

“Yes, a little,” Emma managed to paste a smile on her face as she turned to face him. “You?”

“A little,” he agreed. “This ground is kind of hard and the temperature turned a little chilly, but somehow I managed.”

“And, you didn’t encounter any wildlife?” Emma tried hard to smile as she teased him.

“Not that I know of,” he told her seriously as he sat up and shivered.

“Well, now we know which way is east and which direction we need to head in,” Emma gestured towards the rising sun. “Do you want to eat now or wait a while?”

“Let’s get up and get moving,” Reid suggested as he stood up and stretched, stomping his feet in an attempt to warm them. “Give our muscles a chance to get warmed up.”

“And us, too,” Emma added as she stood up, collected her backpack, and looked around. “Sun on our left and whose turn is it to pick our next stop?”


	45. Chapter 45

SSA David Rossi and Chief Matt Cruz were walking back to the FAA conference room when Cruz’s phone rang. He checked the screen before answering. “Chief Cruz.”

“That’s what I expected,” he told the caller. “Thanks.”

As he closed up his phone, he looked over at Rossi. “The guys who went out to check Alan Khan’s house,” he told him.

“The place was empty,” Rossi guessed.

“Deserted,” Agent Mitchell declared as he joined them and the three men walked into the conference room. “And, according to the guys who went out there, there was absolutely no indication of where he, our agents, or our plane are.”

“We had better start thinking about how we are going to handle the next call from the kidnappers,” Cruz suggested, looking at his watch. “We should be hearing from them in about half an hour.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Rossi said. “About that Black Hawk helicopter they are expecting.”

Both of the other men looked at him.

“They didn’t ask for a pilot,” Cruz realized.

“That must mean they have someone who is capable of handling a machine like that,” Rossi pointed out. “After all, they did have someone who could pilot the jet.”

“Former military?” Agent Mitchell questioned. “Would someone with that kind of training join group like this?”

“It’s hard to say what some people will do,” Cruz commented dryly. “And, there is no indication that they were in the U.S. military. Other countries train pilots to fly Black Hawk-type helicopters, too.”

He took out his cell phone. “Let me call my contact at State again. He is supposed to be working on arranging something.”

While Cruz argued with his contact concerning the requested Black Hawk helicopter, Agent Mitchell turned to Rossi.

“I have two agents arranging for the money,” he told him. “Because of all the casinos here in town, the cash shouldn’t be a problem. However, the money for the wire transfer is going to take a bit longer.”

“Have them do the best they can,” Rossi replied. “Hopefully, we won’t have to use any of it.”

“You think we can beat this?” Agent Mitchell questioned.

“Let’s just say I am cautiously optimistic,” was his reply as Will Reid strode into the room and joined them.

“The North Las Vegas PD has finished their initial survey of the van,” he informed them. “And, although it has been wiped down, they did manage to find a partial print.”

“They run it?” Rossi questioned.

“They did,” was the reply. “And, it came back as a possible match to a former patient at Bennington.”

“How former?” Rossi asked. “When was he discharged – or is it a she?”

“A he, and apparently he wasn’t discharged,” Will Reid looked unhappy. “According to the missing persons report the hospital filled, Elliot Williams just walked away from their grounds about two weeks ago.”

“Dr. Diana?” Rossi questioned anxiously.

“I already alerted the hospital,” Will Reid replied. “They are double checking security on all exit doors and are alerting their staff to keep a closer eye on her.”

“I also spoke with Bear,” he continued. “And I gave him the information on the area where the tickets were issued to the Secure Facilities Construction vehicles. His guys already had a possible lead from one bar in that area and will be revisiting the roads around there looking for more information.”

“What kind of lead?” Cruz questioned.

“Just some vague mentions of closed-mouthed strangers hanging around in the area,” Will Reid explained. “When they go back, Bear’s guys will be stopping in at some of the service stations and quick stop stores in the area. If there is anything to find, they will find it.”

He walked over to the map on the evidence board, inserted several more pins, and shook his head.

“Maybe your agents are somewhere around here,” he commented. “But where are Spencer and Emma?” 

The anguish in his voice was heartbreaking.


	46. Chapter 46

Rossi’s phone dinged, indicating an incoming text message. After glancing at the screen, he looked over at the others. “Sorry,” he told them. “I have to take this alone.” 

After leaving the conference room, he hurried down the hall to the office where Garcia and Kevin were working. 

“You want to speak with me privately?” he questioned as he closed the door behind him.

“We have been following several different lines of investigation,” Garcia told him. “And, it looks like they are all interrelated.”

“And, the bottom line isn’t what any of us expected,” Kevin added.

“So, we thought we would start with just you and let you make the call,” Garcia concluded.

Rossi took a chair next to Garcia’s desk. “Let’s hear it,” he stated.

“I was looking into where the metal panels used to build the room the team is being held in may have come from,” Garcia replied. “From the pictures, they appear to be a type of insulated panel, which is a specialty item not many manufacturers make.”

“And, on my end, I was looking into the Secure Facilities Construction Company,” Kevin added.

“And the two searches crossed paths?” Rossi guessed.

“Yes,” Garcia told him. “I managed to locate several companies that manufacture insulated metal building panels. Two of them had shipped materials into this area. One order was for the construction of a local brewery and the other was for a - get this – an ice rink, which was built about five miles outside of town. Apparently someone had a brainstorm concerning ‘a cool place in a hot town’.”

“I am guessing the venture was not successful,” Rossi said.

“You would be correct,” Garcia replied. “It actually lasted about two years before the owner closed it. And, after that, it sat empty for another 19 months. Eventually, the building itself was sold to – “

“The Secure Facilities Construction Company,” Kevin took up the story. “They dismantled it, breaking it down into sections, and then moved the sections off the site. Where, exactly, the panels went, I’m not sure. When I checked satellite photos of the yard the company uses to store their construction equipment in, some of them do appear to be there. However, the majority of them are definitely missing.”

“We’ll need to check out that lot and any buildings in it,” Rossi stated. “And also take a good look at the construction equipment that is parked there.”

“Sending the address to your phone,” Kevin replied. “However, there is more.”

“Keep going,” Rossi instructed him.

“I checked into the ownership of the construction company,” Kevin continued. “And, as you might expect, there are several layers of various sham companies involved. When I finally worked my way to the bottom layer, I found several names listed and one in particular stood out – Ali Mohammad Khan.”

“Any relation to the Alan Khan we tried to locate earlier?” Rossi asked.

“Oh yes,” Kevin replied. “He’s a cousin. And, I thought the name looked familiar for another reason. So, I went back over the checklist I was working on of relatives of local agents.”

“Here it comes,” Rossi guessed.

“Yes,” Kevin told him as he turned his computer screen so Rossi could read it. “He is a second cousin to – “

“Oh Boy!” Rossi commented. He took a deep breath. “This is not what I expected. This definitely calls for discretion.”

“I’ve checked further,” Garcia spoke up. “And, - “

Her comments were interrupted by a knock on the office door. One of the local FBI agents poked his head in. 

“Agent Mitchel asked me to get you,” he told Rossi. “It’s almost time for the hijackers to call back.”

“Right,” Rossi acknowledged.

“I’ll send the information to your phone,” Kevin volunteered.

“And, I will keep working to verify the details,” Garcia added.

“As much as I hate to add to your list of things to do,” Rossi told the two techs as he stood up to leave. “I also need you to check on one Elliot Williams. He is apparently from Las Vegas and, until recently, was a patient at Bennington. His print showed up in the white van the North Las Vegas Police recovered. If he is involved with Moira Donovan, they probably crossed paths somewhere here in Vegas.”

“And, even if I can’t locate her, maybe I can locate him,” Garcia concluded. “Rest assured - I won’t rest until I have one of them on my radar.”


	47. Chapter 47

“So, we have decided on a strategy?” Rossi asked Chief Cruz and Agent Mitchell.

“Oh yes,” Cruz told him while Agent Mitchell nodded in agreement. “When the call comes in they will undoubtedly want to speak with you again, and there are several demands you will be presenting this time around.”

“Hopefully, we will be able to delay any action for at least a day,” Agent Mitchell continued. “Giving us some extra time to work on locating the plane and our agents.”

“Making sure not to antagonize them, of course,” Cruz cautioned.

“Diplomacy is my middle name,” Rossi assured him as the phone rang.

After the third ring, Rossi picked up the receiver.

“Agent Rossi,” he answered. Everyone in the room could hear his voice coming out of the speaker on the track-and-trace equipment.

“Agent Rossi,” the hollow sounding voice was back. “Are you prepared to meet our demands?”

“Actually, before we go any further, we have some requests of our own,” Rossi spoke up.

“May I remind you, Agent Rossi, that you are not in a position to make demands,” the voice replied.

“These are requests,” Rossi repeated. “And, I believe they are quite reasonable.”

“I am listening,” was the response.

“First, we need further proof that our agents are alive and well,” Rossi stated. “We have no idea of when those photos were taken and would like something that we can verify as being of recent origin.”

“That can be arranged,” the voice agreed. “A film will be posted on a networking website shortly so you can see for yourself that your agents are well and are not being mistreated.”

“Thank you,” Rossi was doing his best to sound agreeable. “And, our second request concerns the Black Hawk helicopter. As you undoubtedly realize, it is rapidly getting dark outside and we would rather not fly one of these expensive pieces of technology into an unknown location in the dark. What I propose is waiting until daylight before it takes off.”

“This sounds like a delaying technique!” was the angry response. “You are trying to avoid meeting our demands!”

“I am trying to keep both our pilot and your pilot safe and alive,” Rossi pointed out. “Also, making sure that the helicopter stays in one piece. It won’t do you any good if it is in pieces on the ground.”

The voice hesitated before responding and Rossi spoke up again. “Why don’t you speak with your helicopter pilot?” he suggested. “See what they think about flying an unfamiliar machine at night.”

“You propose waiting until when?” the voice came over the speaker.

“I propose waiting approximately 20 hours,” Rossi returned. “It will be full daylight then and both sides will have a clear view of what is going on.”

“Eighteen hours,” the voice repeated. “And, be sure to check on line.” The phone line went dead.


	48. Chapter 48

“Garcia,” Rossi, accompanied by Chief Cruz and Agent Mitchell, was again visiting the office the techs were using. “Can you find a film on a networking website for me?”

“Any particular film?” was the response.

“One showing our missing four agents,” Rossi explained. “The hijackers said they would post one to show us that they are alive and being well treated.”

“Searching – Searching – Searching,” was Garcia’s response as she pushed keys on her keyboard.

“Found it!” she declared triumphantly. “Now, let’s see what it shows.”

As everyone watched, the screen first flickered, and then a grainy-looking picture appeared. 

“There’s JJ,” Garcia pointed excitedly.

“And Agent Hotchner,” Cruz added.

“Also Blake and Morgan,” Rossi observed. “But, what are they doing?”

As they watched, the four captive agents appeared to be walking around the small room, pointing at walls and waving their arms about aimlessly. 

“Well, whatever is going on, they seem to be pretty engaged,” Cruz observed. “As well as in good health.”

As they watched, Morgan walked over to help Blake write something down on a piece of paper she had out.

“And, they are busy taking notes,” Garcia added. 

“Maybe they are coming up with an escape plan,” Kevin suggested hopefully.

“They wouldn’t be writing anything like that down,” Rossi pointed out. “Besides, now it looks like they are starting to move their furnishings around.”

“Is that a port-a-potty?” Garcia asked as the camera angle changed slightly. “EWWW!”

“Can you tell when this was taken?” Cruz requested.

“Well,” Garcia checked some numbers at the bottom of the screen. “Assuming that the date stamp hasn’t been tampered with, this was taken about two hours ago.”

“What can we tell about where they are being held?” Rossi asked, squinting at the screen.

“The direction of the lighting doesn’t help much,” Cruz observed. “It appears that the room has indirect lighting. But, look at that back wall.”

“It’s rock!” Kevin exclaimed. “They are being held someplace where they are up against a very tall rock. Let me get back on line and call up some geological survey maps to see if there are any rock outcroppings in the area we are focusing on.”

As Kevin attacked his computer, the others continued to watch the remaining film. 

“Could they be figuring out how to remodel that place?” Garcia asked timidly. 

“Naw – Why would they be doing something like that?” Cruz questioned. “Although, now that you mention it – “


	49. Chapter 49

“This looks like a good place to take a midmorning break,” Emma commented as she shook off her backpack and placed it on the ground.

“As good as any,” Reid agreed as he carefully sat down next to a small pile of weather-beaten boards.

“It looks like someone started a project out here at one time and then abandoned it,” Emma observed as she surveyed the boards. “Although, what they were planning on doing way out here, I have no idea.”

Taking out her water bottle, Emma finished the last swallow and then looked over at Reid. “Time to break out the final bottle?” she suggested.

“And, maybe, breakfast.” Reid had drank the last of his water earlier in the morning.

“I hope you like energy bars,” Emma told him as she handed him one. “Mainly because that’s what’s on the menu. I’ll let you do the honors with the water.” She handed over an energy bar and the last bottle of water.

Reid opened the bottle and hesitated, looking over at his companion.

“Take a drink,” Emma encouraged him. “Then I’ll take one. We can alternate. Now, about the sunscreen.”

“Sunscreen?” Reid questioned.

“Sunscreen,” Emma repeated definitely. “I need to put some more on you, and then you can do me. When we get out of here, I am not going to be dealing with a red nose and itching, peeling skin!”

“When we get out of here?” Reid questioned. “You mean – “

“I mean When,” Emma repeated defiantly as she took the bottle of sunscreen out of her backpack and opened it. “Spencer, we are going to get out of here. You have to believe that! Practice the power of positive thinking! Now, turn your face to the right so I can get sunscreen on your ear and on that side of your neck. What - ?”

Reid was peering off into the distance.

“Over there,” he pointed towards the horizon and slightly to the right of where they were sitting. “I can barely make it out, but I think I see the light reflecting off something that is sticking up very slightly above the horizon over there.”

“A rock?” Emma questioned.

“I don’t know, but I just have a feeling.” Reid trailed off.

“Well, it’s basically in front of us so we will be heading in the right direction,” Emma commented. “Do you want to take a chance?”

“What do we have to loose?”


	50. Chapter 50

“You were right, Spencer, there definitely is a building there. But what is it?” Emma and Reid had stopped in their hike across the desert and were now standing still, trying to get a clearer view of whatever it was that Reid had spotted.

“A one story structure of some sort,” Reid observed. “And there appears to be some trees and bushes around it. Either there is water on the property or whoever owns it is bringing in water for the plants.”

“That would mean they are concerned about keeping up their property,” Emma commented. “Which would suggest that it’s not a warehouse or some sort of temporary structure.”

They resumed walking towards the building and then, suddenly, Reid came to a halt.

“I know all about mirages,” he began. “They are a naturally occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays are bent to produce a displaced image of a distant object or the sky. And, I know that a common one is of a body of water. However, I don’t think today’s conditions are right for causing mirages, and I don’t think I am tired enough or dehydrated enough to be hallucinating.”

“If you are seeing what I am seeing, I am pretty certain it isn’t a mirage,” Emma commented. “What are you seeing?”

“A swimming pool with several – “ Reid swallowed hard. “Naked women around it?”

“Thank goodness!” Emma exclaimed. “That’s exactly what I am seeing. Now, what do you say we walk over and say ‘Hi!’?”

“What are we going to tell them?” Reid worried. “We can’t tell them the whole story about the plane and the missing agents.”

“We will tell them that we were kidnapped and left to die in the middle of the desert and we don’t know who is responsible,” Emma declared. “And, we will then very nicely ask them if we can make a phone call. They don’t need to know anything more than that.”

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

“OMG - You poor things!” the first woman exclaimed.

Reid and Emma had told their story to the three women sunbathing around the swimming pool, and were now being inundated with sympathy.

“You come right in here where it is cool and let us get you something to drink!” the second woman added as she turned and led the way towards the building.

“What a horrible, horrible thing to happen!” the third woman exclaimed as she joined the group headed into the air conditioning.

Once the group was inside, Emma gratefully accepted a bottle of cold water from one of the woman and curiously looked around her, while Reid worked at studiously ignoring the fact that none of the woman was wearing a stitch of clothing.

“Where exactly are we?” Emma asked as she surveyed the large room they had been escorted into. She noticed that it was furnished with multiple comfortable sofas, as well as some upright chairs, and had a bar positioned against the far wall.

“You are at ‘The House of Leather and Lace’,” another woman’s voice came from behind them. “And I am Miss Lacy, the owner.”

When Emma and Reid turned to look, they saw an older woman, dressed in a fitted, navy blue business suit with her blond hair swept up on top of her head, walking into the room.

“You mean this is – “ Reid let the question dangle.

“A legal, licensed brothel staffed by licensed sex workers,” the woman replied as she stopped and surveyed the group.

“Ladies,” she raised an eyebrow at her employees.

“Oh, Yes,” the first woman who had greeted the lost couple replied. “Excuse me, please.” She scuttled out of the room.

“Me, too,” the other two women chorused as they quickly followed her.

“And you are?” Miss Lacy moved closer so she could take a better look at Emma and Reid.

“I am – “ Reid started.

“You are Will Reid’s son,” Miss Lacy interrupted him. “I recognize you from the picture he has in his office. How in heaven’s name did you end up in my establishment?”

“You know my father?” Reid was surprised.

“I graduated from high school with him,” was the reply. “And, several months ago he helped one of my ladies out with problem she had.”

“Now,” she continued looking at them shrewdly. “My second question?”

Reid exchanged looks with Emma before replying.

“We were kidnapped off the street in Las Vegas,” he told Miss Lacy. “Not far from the Bellagio hotel. And then we were dumped in the middle of the desert just northeast of here.”

“We’ve been walking since yesterday afternoon trying to get back to civilization,” Emma finished their story.

“Dr. Reid, I remember your father telling me you work for the FBI,” Miss Lacy said thoughtfully. “And, I will assume this ‘incident’ has something to do with your job. So, I won’t ask any questions. Let’s get you two cleaned up and fed, and then we can see about getting you on your way home.”

“If you don’t mind, I would like to make a phone call first,” Reid asked.

“Spencer, who are you planning on calling?” Emma questioned, concerned.

“My father,” was the reply. “He is the only person we can be sure wasn’t involved in this. And, he can get away to come out here and get us without raising anyone’s suspicions.”

You can use my cell,” Miss Lacy told him, taking it out of her jacket pocket and handing it to him. “And, in the meantime – “

“Star!” she turned her head and called out the name.

“Yes Miss Lacy?” a young woman, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, quickly appeared through the doorway their rescuers had used to leave the reception room.

“This is Dr. Porter,” the woman told her. She smiled at Emma. “Will told me about you too, My Dear,” she assured her. “And, in case you don’t realize it, he is really quite fond of you.”

“Take her into the employees’ private quarters and let her use the sunken tub to get cleaned up,” she instructed Star. “I’ll see about rounding up some clean clothes for her.”

“No Problem,” Star assured her cheerfully.

“Come on,” she smiled at Emma as she led her away. “Let’s get you into something that isn’t covered with dirt and debris from the desert. And, you know, I think recognize you from on campus. Do you go to the University of Las Vegas?”

“Thanks,” Reid handed the cell phone back to it’s owner. “My dad is on his way out here. If there isn’t any traffic, it should take him about an hour and a half to get out here.”

“I look forward to seeing him again,” Miss Lacy said with a smile. “It has been a while. In the meantime, why don’t you use my private bath to get cleaned up? I’ll see what my ladies can scare up in the way of clean men’s clothing. Believe it or not, we do have some of that around here.”


	51. Chapter 51

“So, Doctor Porter, welcome to ‘The House of Leather and Lace – Where all your fantasies can come true’,” Star smiled at Emma as she led the way down the hallway and into the bathroom.

“Thanks - I think,” Emma smiled at enthusiastic young woman. “And, it’s Emma.”

“You think you’ve seen me on campus?” she asked.

“Yes, I was a student at the University of Las Vegas until about three months ago,” Star explained. “Then I dropped out to work here full time.” She closed the bathroom door behind them and reached over to turn the water on in the tub.

“What were you studying?” Emma was curious.

“Psychology, but I was only an undergrad,” was the reply. “Bubbles?”

“Just some clean water will be great,” Emma assured her. “I don’t need anything fancy.”

“Sometimes it is as important to treat the mind as it is to treat the body,” Star replied as she retrieved a bottle from one of the cabinets in the room. “I hope you like lavender.”

“That is good for relaxation,” Emma commented. “And, thank you.”

“Now you just get in and make yourself at home,” Star turned off the water and gestured towards the tub full of bubbles. “And, I’ll go see what I can find for you to wear.”

After Star had carefully closed the door behind her, Emma wasted no time in stripping off her clothes and climbing into the large, bubble-filled bathtub. Leaning back, she quickly washed out her hair and then settled down to soak in the warm water. Idly, she wondered if she should be preserving her clothing in case it contained any evidence from the van she and Spencer had been transported in. She quickly dismissed the thought. Any evidence that might have been on her clothes had undoubtedly been compromised.

“Knock, Knock, It’s me!” Star was matching her words to her actions as she slowly opened the bathroom door. “Is it okay if I come in?”

“No problem, come on in,” Emma greeted her, trying to match Star’s cheerful demeanor.

“What is that?” she asked in surprise as Star came through the door holding up a gauzy red and gold dress on a hanger.

“Miss Lacy suggested this caftan,” Star told her with a smile. “It’s one of the costumes for our Arabian Nights fantasy suite, but we rarely use it. Our clients seem to prefer the belly dancer outfit. And, it comes complete with a pair of matching slippers.”

“I also brought you some orange slices,” she continued, holding up a desert plate before placing it on the edge of the tub, within easy reach for Emma. “Miss Lacy has our cook busy fixing a meal for you, but I thought you might appreciate something to tide you over.”

“Thank you,” Emma said as she reached for one of the orange slices. 

“You have no idea how good this tastes!” she added a minute later as she rolled her eyes and reached for a second slice.

“Now, Miss Lacy tells me you are married to that handsome man you came in here with,” Star made herself at home on the floor next to the tub. “Do Tell!”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Emma’s face fell. “It’s pretty involved.”

“Don’t worry – In this job I have heard it all!” Star replied. “That’s part of the reason I was studying psychology.”

“Is this where the girl’s party is being held?” the first woman Emma had met by the pool poked her head into the bathroom.

“You’re in the right place - Come on in!” Star invited her. 

As the woman, now clad in jean shorts and a crop top, came through the door she smiled at Emma. “Hi! Sorry I didn’t get a chance to properly introduce myself earlier - I was so shocked to see the two of you walking across the desert. I’m Moonlight. And, I must say, you are looking considerably better.”

Moonlight placed some underthings on the counter next to the sink. “I hope these fit. I had to guess.”

“Believe me - At this point I am not picky!” Emma assured her. “And, Thank You!”

“Now, about that good looking guy you came in here with – “ Moonlight smiled at her as she also settled on the floor.


	52. Chapter 52

“It was an arranged marriage?” Star questioned, shocked. “I didn’t think they did that in this country!”

“My mother was trying to protect me,” Emma explained. “And, for a long time it did work. However, eventually, I wanted to break free and have a life of my own. And, that’s when the problems started.” She gave a deep sigh.

“And, your husband would rather carry the torch for a dead woman than be with you - Someone who is ready, willing, and waiting?” Moonlight clarified.

“Are you sure he isn’t gay?” Star asked thoughtfully. “I mean look at you – You’re nothing to sneeze at – And you’re smart too. What is his problem?”

“It has only been nine months,” Emma reminded the two women. “And, you have to remember that I kind of hit him over the head with this ‘We’re married’ thing just after he had suffered a major loss. Add to that, I seriously doubt that Spencer ever had any kind of a relationship with a woman before Maeve.”

“And, as for Spencer’s being gay,” she continued. “I don’t think so. He works with some pretty hunky looking guys and he doesn’t give them a second look.”

“You’re probably right about that,” Moonlight conceded. “My gaydar didn’t go off at all when I took the men’s clothes down to Miss Lacy’s suite.”

“Now, how about we get you up and out of there?” Star checked her text messages. “Cook says between 10 and 15 minutes and, while I’m not going to say that he is temperamental, but it usually is a good idea to be on time.”

“That’s enough time for us to do your hair and make-up,” Moonlight observed as she opened the cabinet under the sink and took out a blow dryer. “We’ll give him something to think about!”

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

“So you ‘Think’ this is where you left them?” Moira demanded as she climbed out of the driver’s seat of her rental car. “But, you’re not sure?”

She looked around, surveying the flat desert area north of Las Vegas that the two men had directed her to.

“It was around here somewhere,” Elliot Williams replied uneasily as he also climbed out of the car and looked around. “I know we took the same exit from the expressway. Then we got on the dirt road and drove until it ended, and then we drove some more.”

“This looks about right,” the second man volunteered as he climbed out of the back seat. “I remembered seeing that pile of rocks over there.” He pointed.

“I don’t see any signs that anyone has been here,” Moira commented as she walked a short distance from the vehicle, surveying the ground as she went. “Although, the ground out here is really hard.”

“That’s right,” Elliot pointed out anxiously. “They probably didn’t leave any tracks.”

“The backpack and purse are gone,” the second man told her. “We threw them out of the van on our way out of here.”

“They probably picked them up, walked back to the main road, and got a ride,” he continued. “And, they are most likely sitting in a nice air conditioned bar right now, enjoying a beer.”

“How did you know where to find the dirt road?” Moira questioned Elliot suspiciously. “You told me you had spent most of your life in and out of various institutions.”

“Well, actually, Hugh knew about it,” Elliot confessed. “He said he had been out here a lot of times – Hunting and things.”

“Hugh?” Moira demanded loudly. “Who the heck is Hugh?”

“He is someone I know. We thought we might need some help, you know, grabbing them,” the second man told her. “So, I called him.”

“I agreed to the two of you, Elliot and Bruce, but I never agreed to Hugh!” Moira stated. “How do we know he will keep his mouth shut?”

“I just know he will,” Bruce spoke up.

“Look, over there,” he continued, pointing to some twisted-up items lying on the ground a short distance to their left. “That looks like the ropes we tied them up with.”

“So, they somehow got out of the ropes and then just walked off and disappeared,” Moira summarized their theory.

“Okay,” she took a deep breath and made a decision. “I am going to drive you two back into town and once we are there, I am going to take you directly to the bus station and buy each of you a ticket on the next bus to Tijuana.”

“What are we supposed to do when we get there?” Bruce asked.

“I don’t care!” was the reply. “Make some friends, adopt a family, get drunk, go across the border to Mexico – I don’t care. I never want to see either of you again!”

“Our money?” Elliot hesitantly questioned.

“I will give you what is left after I pay for your bus tickets!” Moira declared.

The ride back to Las Vegas went quickly and, after arranging for the bus tickets, Moira proceeded to the airport to return the rental car. As she sat on the city bus, headed towards the strip, she considered the possibility of pushing her fake driver’s license into the space at the bottom of the bus window. If she did that, when she got off the bus Mary Lawrence would have completely disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again.

“No,” Moira shook her head. Not yet. She didn’t believe that ‘Her Spencer’ was permanently gone. She just needed to sit and wait for him to return. And, the best place to do that was Bennington Sanitarium.


	53. Chapter 53

“Okay, we have an additional eighteen hours,” Cruz looked at his watch. “We need to get moving.”

“The first thing is to send a team of agents out to the Secure Facilities Construction Company’s yard,” Rossi said. “Once we have an idea of what equipment they have been using we will have a better idea of where to look.”

“We also need to have someone comb through the paperwork in their offices. We’ll need a warrant for that,” Agent Mitchell had his cell phone out. “I’ll handle getting one.”

“Let’s head down to talk with Garcia and Kevin,” Rossi suggested to Cruz. “They have been checking on several issues for me and I am sure that by now they have some answers.”

“Okay, _Bella_ , what do you have for me?” Rossi asked after he and Cruz had been admitted to the techs’ sanctum.

“First things first,” Garcia replied. “I looked into Elliot Williams and, let me tell you, if he is working with Moira she must have met him in a mental institution somewhere along the line. He has been in and out of them since he was 12 years old.”

“All local?” Cruz asked.

“Oh yes,” Garcia told him. “As Rossi here surmised, he is a native of Las Vegas. He was originally recommended for in-school counseling shortly after he started grade school because of his really disturbing habit of picking on and attacking smaller and/or younger children. According to his school records this included, but was not limited to, taunting them, choking them and, on occasion, attempting to beat their heads in. All of this was in retaliation for imagined slights and/or insults.”

“After attempting unsuccessfully to deal with him for several years, the school finally suggested additional outside counseling and his parents agreed. He was 10 years old at the time. When that didn’t seem to help, his parents then arranged for intensive outpatient therapy. Finally, they had to admit that the problem was more deep seated than could be handled on an hourly basis, and had him admitted to a juvenile facility.”

“How long was he there?” Rossi questioned.

“A little over a year,” Garcia reported. “But, that was only the first of many admissions. From what I can tell, it appears that he is okay as long as he stays on his current regime of medications. However, that regime periodically changes and he has a tendency to rebel against taking the pills. From what I can see, his parents have really tried to help him, but I guess that some people’s brains are just wired differently from the rest of us.”

“He was in several facilities over the years?” Cruz questioned.

“Oh yes,” Garcia assured him. “Apparently his parents were willing to try any type of therapy which appeared to have the potential to help him. However, due to his aversion to taking his medication, he was admitted to Bennington about a year ago as a long term resident in need of constant supervision.”

“Was Moira there?” Rossi asked.

“No, and this is where we come to the problem,” Garcia replied. “While Mr. Williams has been institutionalized only in the Las Vegas area, Moira Donovan has only been institutionalized in the Washington, DC, area. And I doubt if they have exchange student programs between institutions of this type.”

“I will, however, keep looking,” she assured the two men.

“Now, my turn,” Kevin spoke up from his desk. “I have been going over the geological survey maps for the area in question.”

“You found something?” Cruz questioned.

“Yes,” Kevin replied. “There appears to be three rocky cliff areas that could be used to anchor the room shown in the film,” he reported. “One of those can be eliminated because of its location. It’s at the bottom of a narrow valley and it would require a helicopter to get anything in there. The other two are distinct possibilities.”

“Send the coordinates to my phone,” Cruz instructed him. “I’ll get Will Reid to contact Bear about getting his guys to check out the areas.”

He took out his cell phone, pushed a number and spoke into it. “Can someone send Will Reid in here, please?”

Cruz listened for a minute. “Are you sure?” he questioned.

“And he didn’t say anything to anyone?” he questioned further.

“What’s going on?” Rossi asked.

“It appears Will Reid got a phone call and then just bolted out the door,” Cruz reported, amazed.

“He didn’t tell anyone where he was going?” Rossi was shocked.

“No one – He’s just gone,” Cruz replied. “His car isn’t in the lot, and when one of the agents tried calling his cell phone, it has been turned off.”

“Who would have called him?” Garcia questioned. “And, don’t tell me someone lured him out with promises, he’s far too smart to fall for that.”

“Let’s wait a while,” Rossi said thoughtfully. “It may be nothing. In the meantime, Kitten, you were verifying some information about familial relationships?”

“Oh, yes!” Garcia replied, turning her computer screen so Rossi and Cruz could see it. “And, I think I have the details all lined up for you.”

Cruz read the screen, his eyes getting wider as he finished each line. Looking over at Rossi he said, “After I speak with Bear, we need to get Mitchell in here. And, then, we need to have a meeting.”

“I’ll call Bear,” Rossi volunteered as he took out his cell phone. “You line up Mitchell.”


	54. Chapter 54

“Spencer, your hair!” Emma exclaimed as she, Star, and Moonlight walked into the dining room. “What the - ?”

“I was kind of ambushed,” Reid looked embarrassed. “They said they were just going to trim off an inch or so. How does it look?”

“We staged a hair intervention,” the second woman they had met at the pool announced from where she was standing slightly behind Reid.

“Hello again!” she added, waving to Emma with a blow dryer. “I’m Krystal.”

“And, I am Desire,” the third woman who had helped them was also standing behind Reid, holding a aerosol can of some sort of hair product and poking at the back of his head with a comb. “We could see that Dr. Reid has good hair.”

“And I am a stylist in my other life,” Krystal added.

“So – “ the two of them chorused.

Star started giggling. “He didn’t stand a chance, did he?” she laughed.

“I know these two,” Moonlight added. “Once they get started on a project – “

“Well,” Emma walked over and began viewing Reid’s hair from various angles.

“I think you two did a really good job,” she complimented the two women. “I love this layering,” she ran her fingers lightly through Reid’s hair. “Is this going to be hard to maintain?”

“Next to no work,” Krystal assured her proudly. “He just has to remember how to brush it as he dries it.”

“Plus, a small amount of extra hold,” Desire added holding up her can. “He’ll be good for the whole day; unless he gets involved in some rally vigorous physical activity.” She smirked at Emma.

“And, Spencer, I must say I really like your new casual look,” Emma commented as she stood back and surveyed the soft white shirt, open at the neck, with the sleeves rolled up, and navy blue drawstring pants he was wearing.”

“Sorry about the socks,” Desire apologized. “While we managed to find a pair of canvas shoes that fit him we couldn’t come up with a pair of matching socks. I swear, the dryer seems to just eat them up!”

“That’s just fine!” Emma assured her. “He never wears matching socks anyway!”

“I see you have the tables all set up,” Moonlight changed the subject. “Are there assigned seats or can we sit anywhere?”

As Emma looked around the dining room, she realized that it was normally set up using small, café-style tables seating four people. However, several of the tables had been pushed together in the center of the room to form the larger table. Reid was currently sitting on the left side of the table while Miss Lacy, who was smiling as she listened to the group, presided over the proceedings from the head of the table.

“Why don’t we put Emma on the other side of Spencer?” she suggested. “And then the rest of you can just sit wherever you want.”

“So, you finally decided to show up!?!” the door to the kitchen burst open and a rotund man in a chef’s hat and apron surged through it. “For all you care, luncheon could be totally ruined!”

He hesitated a moment as he looked at Emma and then blurted out, “Emma? Emma is that you? You’re the one who was lost in the desert?”

“Donny?” Emma was walking towards the man. “Is this where you have been all this time?”

“You’re okay, aren’t you?” the man questioned anxiously as he enveloped Emma in a hug. “I mean, you haven’t suffered any permanent damage or anything, have you?”

“You two know each other,” Miss Lacy guessed.

“Oh, yes,” Donny assured her as he loosened his grasp on Emma. “Emma here and I have exchanged recipes. She’s the one who gave me the recipe for the maple syrup infused chicken that I prepared for that corporate retreat we hosted two weeks ago.”

He looked at Emma. “Those Japanese businessmen just ate it up!” he told her proudly.

“Donny was working in the kitchen at Bennington while he went to culinary school,” Emma explained. “And I was working there doing research for my thesis. We had some great conversations about recipes and cooking. And, yes, Sweetie, I am okay.”

“You served it with the wild rice I told you about?” Emma questioned Donny, who still had his arm around her, holding her close. Miss Lacy noticed with amusement that Reid’s eyes were narrowing as he glared at the couple.

“Of course!” was the reply. “I had to mail order it from Minnesota, but it was worth it!”

“”Now, for today’s menu,” Donny turned to address the table. “I figured that after what you two have gone through, you would need something that would be easy on your stomachs. Therefore, I am starting with a superb Greek Lemon Chicken Soup. Following that, you will be enjoying Apricot Glazed Chicken with white rice and steamed green beans. And, for desert I have concocted a delicious lemon mousse.”

“Do I detect a citrus theme throughout?” Emma teased.

“You do!” Donny smiled at her. “Now, go take your seat so I can begin serving.” He took his arm back and gave her a gentle push.

He turned to the others. “Don’t expect this service all the time,” he informed them. “This is just because we have a very special visitor!”

As Emma walked over to take a seat at the table, Reid suddenly stood up, pulled out the chair next to his, and held it for her to sit in.

“You look very – nice – “ he told her as he suddenly seemed to notice the diaphanous caftan she was wearing.

“You have Miss Lacy to thank for this dress,” Emma told him with a smile as she sat down. “And, look,” she held out her foot. “I even have slippers to match!”

“I thought Donny was gay,” Krystal commented as she sat down next to Emma.

“He is,” Moonlight told her. “However, maybe that caftan Emma has on caused him to reconsider.” She smiled at Emma. “You look really hot!”

“I doubt he has changed,” Emma replied. “He is just a very good friend. and I’ve really missed talking with him.”

“You do realize that that dress is a little – “ Reid began, and then caught himself as he remembered the last time he had criticized Emma’s outfit.

“Sparkly,” he finished up lamely.

“Garcia would certainly approve of it,” Emma agreed.

Miss Lacy smirked as she noted Reid glaring in the direction of the kitchen.

C


	55. Chapter 55

Lunch proceeded at a leisurely pace with all the dishes living up to Donny’s promises. 

“This is absolutely delicious!” Emma exclaimed as she put down her fork after finishing the entre. “Do you eat like this all the time?”

“Donny does his best to keep us properly fed,” Krystal told her. “Although, with our various schedules it’s not easy keeping the food at the proper temperature.”

“Speaking of which,” Desire stood up. “I am going to have to miss dessert. I have a regular due in in about half an hour and I need to get both the room and myself ready.”

“Make sure Guy knows you are expecting someone,” Miss Lacy reminded her. “You know how protective he is.”

“I assume Guy is your Guardian of the Door?” Emma asked as Desire hurried out of the dining room.

“Yes,” Miss Lacy confirmed. “And, he takes his responsibilities very seriously.”

“We are lucky we have him,” was Krystal’s opinion.

“He has a natural instinct for spotting troublemakers,” Moonlight added.

“Miss Lacy,” the deep man’s voice came from the dining room door. “Your visitor has arrived.”

When the women looked towards the door, they saw that Guy was escorting a worried looking older man, who glanced anxiously around the room as they walked in.

“Father?” Reid stood up as he spoke.

“Will?” Emma called out as she sprung from her chair and ran towards him. “Dad!”

“Emma!” Will Reid’s arms closed around his daughter-in-law as she began sobbing. “Am I glad to see you! Are you okay?”

“And you, too, Spencer,” he added looking over at Reid. “Are you okay?”

After hesitating for a moment, Reid joined his father and his wife in their hug. “Now I am,” he assured his father. “Now I am!”

“Will Reid,” Miss Lacy spoke up. “It is good to see you again!”

“You, too, Marilyn,” Will Reid smiled at her. “And, I don’t know how I will ever thank you - You saved my family!”

“Actually, they did most of the work by getting here,” Miss Lacy told him. “My ladies just opened the door and let them in. Now, why don’t you join us for dessert? We’ll just slide our seats around the table here so you can sit between Spencer and Emma.”

As everyone rearranged themselves at the dinner table, Star noticed that Will Reid had a huge smile on his face.

“Glad to see Emma and Spencer?” she asked.

“She called me ‘Dad’, Laurel,” Will Reid told her with tears in his eyes. “She actually called me ‘Dad’!”

“I would assume you two know each other,” Emma ventured a guess through her tears. “Seeing as how he knows your legal name.”

“Yes,” Star replied. “Mr. Reid here helped me out a while back.”

“As I understand it, he helped out a whole group of women,” Miss Lacy pointed out. “But, it did start with Star.”

“What exactly did you do?” Reid asked his father curiously.


	56. Chapter 56

“It started with a parking ticket I got on campus,” Star began, giving Will Reid a sideways glance. “It was issued by one of the campus police officers.”

“Pigs!” Donny gave his decided opinion as he served everyone dessert.

“I didn’t think I deserved it,” Star gave Donny a smile. “However, when I tried to discuss the matter with the issuing officer he offered me a totally unacceptable solution – That I have sex with him in exchange for his tearing up the ticket. I don’t know if he was aware of the fact that I was working here on weekends, but when I told him emphatically ‘No’; he got belligerent, began calling me names, and made some serious-sounding threats.”

“I was scared, so I just took the ticket from him, got in my car, and drove off.” Star stopped to catch her breath.

“That wasn’t the end of it,” Emma ventured a guess.

“No, it wasn’t,” Star confirmed. “For the next several weeks, every time I turned around, there he was. I couldn’t go anywhere on campus without him following me. In addition, he must have propositioned me every other day, saying that other female students had cooperated and what was my problem. I stopped driving my car to school because I was afraid he would give me another ticket and I would have to endure him yet again. I tried filing a complaint in the Campus Police office, but I got the feeling they didn’t believe me. They just told me what a good officer he was. The same was true when I contacted the university’s Administration offices.”

“Star finally told me what was going on,” Miss Lacy took up the story. “And, when I heard about it, I knew it had to stop. I figured the best way to get everyone’s attention was to file a lawsuit, so I called Will.” She smiled over at him.

“At our first meeting Laurel showed me her original ticket,” Will Reid began his explanation. “And, the minute I saw it I knew what was going on.”

He looked over at Reid. “Spencer, do you remember a Bobby Myers who lived a street over from us when you were growing up?” he asked.

“He was a bully,” was Reid’s immediate answer. “Always picking on the younger kids. Do you mean - ?”

“Yes,” his father nodded. “The minute I saw that the signature on the ticket was ‘Robert H. Myers’ I knew he was still at it and that he had to be stopped.”

“Mr. Reid was great!” Star told the group.

“The first thing I discovered was that approximately 75% of all the tickets Robert Myers had written in the past 18 months were for females,” Will Reid told them. “And, even though the Campus Police Chief agreed with me that that was unusual, he couldn’t do anything without any complainants. And, other than Laurel, none of the women were willing to come forward.”

“I finally found someone who was getting ready to graduate,” Star explained. “All her paperwork had been filed and approved, and she figured it was beyond the point where someone could derail it. So, she stepped up and spoke up. When the news got out that we had another complainant, several other women came forward.”

“And, as a result, Robert H. Meyers is now a Former Campus Police Officer,” Will Reid concluded. “And he has been banned from ever setting foot on campus again.”

I told you he was great!” Star enthused. “And he refused to charge me a penny for all his work!”

“It was my pleasure,” Will Reid assured her. “Although, as for the damage he caused – “ the lawyer looked pointedly at Star.

“Star, is that why you aren’t in school any more?” Emma questioned concerned. “You let him scare you away?”

“I just felt as if everyone was staring at me every time I walked across campus,” Star confessed. “And, I couldn’t deal with it.”

“That is not right!” Emma declared. “By giving in like that he’s won, and you don’t deserve that. Have you thought about going back?”

“I would have to find new housing,” Star replied. “And, I don’t know if I could still get into the classes I need. And, I don’t know, I just can’t seem to get it together!”

“Okay, housing is easy,” Emma told her. “If you don’t mind a few stairs, you can move in with me temporarily. I’m right on the bus line to the university so you won’t have to worry about transportation. And, as far as classes are concerned, I do have a few contacts at the school and I am sure we can work something out to get you back in time to start the winter term.”

“A few stairs?” Reid questioned.

“Spen-cer,” Emma’s pronunciation of his name sounded like a warning as she turn her head to glare at him.

“You would do that for me?” Star questioned surprised.

“Of course!” Emma assured her. “I hate to see a perfectly good brain go to waste!”


	57. Chapter 57

Dessert had come and gone while Star was telling her story and now Will Reid cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry to break this up,” he apologized to Emma and Reid. “But I really need to get you two back to town. Dave is really worried about you and I’d like to put his mind at ease.”

“Understood,” Emma stood up, smoothing her caftan. “And, as much as I hate to go – “

“I’ll go get Donny,” Moonlight offered. “I know he will want to say ‘Good-by’.” She hurried off towards the kitchen.

“Miss Lacy?” Guy was escorting a man wearing the uniform of a local beverage distributor into the dining room. “Frank here wants to talk to you.

”Big Frank!” Krystal greeted him. “Good to see you!”

“Hello Miss Krystal, Miss Lacy, Ladies,” the tall man greeted them shyly.

“I just wanted to talk to Miss Lacy for a moment,” he explained.

“Of course, Frank! What can I help you with?” Miss Lacy immediately asked.

“Nothing really,” was the reply. “I just wanted to let you know that I had to short you a little on your usual delivery of drink mixers. The party store two stops back had a family reunion in the area over the weekend and they got pretty well cleaned out. Your bartender says he has enough stock for the next several days, but I wanted to make sure you know what is going on.”

“Thanks, Frank, I appreciate that,” Miss Lacy smiled at him. “Our bartender does have your contact information just in case, doesn’t he?”

“Of course, Miss Lacy,” the man told her. “And, if you need anything, I’ll be glad to make a special trip out here.” He turned to leave.

“Frank?” Emma spoke up.

“Yes, Miss,” he looked over at her.

“Do you deliver bottled water, too?” Emma asked curiously.

“Yes,” he replied.

“And you would notice any unusually large deliveries that your customers needed, wouldn’t you?” she questioned.

“Well, yes,” Frank told her. “Most customers get roughly the same quantities delivered each time. So, any unusually large orders would stand out.”

“That’s what I thought – Thank you, Frank,” Emma replied.

“My pleasure,” the delivery man assured her as he followed Guy out of the dining room.

“What are you thinking?” Reid asked after the two men were gone.

“Just that if a large group of people began regularly traveling through a particular area the local merchants would have to start ordering larger deliveries,” Emma explained. “Even if they brought most of their supplies with them, they would probably be purchasing odds and ends locally.”

“And, around Las Vegas, that would most likely include bottled water,” Reid understood what she was thinking.

“I’ll give Dave a call,” Will Reid had his cell phone out.

The good-byes were quickly handled, with Donny and Emma’s parting hug receiving intense scrutiny from Reid. Emma also made sure Star/Laurel had her contact information and she promised Star that she would start handling her return to the university as soon as she got back to Las Vegas.

“Tell Diana I said ‘Hi!’,” Miss Lacy told Will as the exchanged hugs. “And, tell her I think that she is one very lucky woman!” The brothel owner nodded towards Reid and Emma as they stood talking with her employees.

Guy helped Mr. Reid pack the bags containing Emma’s and Reid’s clothing, as well as Emma’s backpack, into the trunk of the car and assured him that he was welcome to return to Leather and Lace at any time. Guy also made sure he had several of Mr. Reid’s business cards because, as he said, “You never know!”

“Okay, Spencer, you take the back seat,” Emma said as they climbed into the car. “That way you will have enough room to stretch out and nap on the way back to town. When we get there you’ll need to be ready to help Dave find the team.”

“What about you?” Reid felt compelled to ask. “I don’t think you got much sleep last night either.”

“I’ll have plenty of room here in front,” Emma assured him as she adjusted the seat and then fastened her seatbelt.


	58. Chapter 58

“They have your family – Don’t they?” Rossi asked quietly.

The man sitting across the desk from him looked as if he were about to deny it, but Agent Mitchell spoke up.

“We’ve checked, Moe. Your children haven’t been in school for the past ten days,” he told the man. “School records show a ‘Family Emergency’, but I don’t think that’s true, is it?”

Moe Grant’s his face crumpled and tears began running down his cheeks.

“Yes!” he sobbed. “They took them, my beautiful wife and my children and, even though they promised that no harm would come to them, I don’t trust them!”

“Moe, why didn’t you come to me?” Agent Mitchell questioned. “You know I would do everything in my power to help you get them back.”

“They said – They said that if I went to the authorities instead of helping them they would kill my family – Or worse,” the man choked out. “You don’t understand! My wife and I, because we don’t attend the mosque regularly they could declare our marriage invalid and then one of them could claim her. And, my daughter - She’s only 9 years old but to some of them she is old enough for marriage and I don’t want to think about what would happen to her then. And, my son, he’s 12 and they teach boys that age to go out and kill and – You just don’t know!“

“Why don’t you begin at the beginning?” Rossi suggested. “Then, once we have all the facts, we can start figuring out how to find these people and get your family and our agents back.”

Moe Grant took a deep breath. “My grandparents on both sides immigrated to this country from the Middle East,” he began. “They wanted a better life for their families and were willing to work hard to get it. They also were anxious to be accepted as Americans and, eventually, my father’s parents decided to legally change their last name. They picked Grant out of the phone book. And, even though my legal name is Moe, in all the mosque records I am shown as Mohammed.”

“I was honest about the name change when I applied to The Bureau,” he told them. “And, I am sure it showed up when they did their background check, so I haven’t been hiding anything!”

“I’m sure that you haven’t been,” Agent Mitchell assured him. “In this country, all of our families came from elsewhere. It’s just a question of where.”

“My wife and I were an arranged marriage,” Moe continued. “My grandfather felt I needed a ‘Traditional’ wife and arranged with some friends of his in the old country for me to meet their granddaughter, who had immigrated here along with her parents. I met Miriam and we got along, so our families made the necessary arrangements and we married. Everything was fine until about three years ago.”

“What happened then?” Agent Mitchell asked.

“Her second cousins, that’s what happened!” Moe spit out. “I had met them at family gatherings previously and they had seemed to be pretty normal but, all of a sudden, they began spouting extremist propaganda. Death to Non-Believers – Death to the Infidels – You name it. I pointed out to them that this country had taken them in and allowed them to live their lives as they saw fit, but I was promptly told that as an FBI Agent and a government employee I was considered one of the ‘Unfaithful’ and therefore was a target.”

“Do you have any idea who radicalized them?” Cruz questioned.

“I can’t give you a name, and I don’t think that whoever it is, is from around here,” Moe replied. “I get the impression that the major players travel in and out of the area on an irregular basis. However, from what I have overheard, they seem to be using a construction company on the east site of town as their headquarters when they are here. One of the owners is another relation of Miriam’s. I don’t know the details – Up until now I haven’t wanted to know the details. I always assumed that Homeland was keeping an eye on them.”

“Do the names Secure Facilities Construction Company and/or Ali Mohammad Khan sound familiar to you?” Rossi asked.

“That sounds familiar,” Moe agreed. “Is that where they are holding my family?”

“I don’t know,” Agent Mitchell told him. “But we have agents heading there now. Currently, they aren’t expecting to find any prisoners when they arrive but I’ll contact them and let them know that there may be children being held on the premises.”

He took out his cell phone and walked out of the room, passing Matt Cruz who was on his way into the office.

“What exactly did they want you to do?” Rossi continued the questioning.

“They were looking to make a political statement and line up some major funds,” Moe told him. “Somehow they found out about your plane being in Reno and decided on that as their target. They demanded that I get information on the plane and it’s occupants. It was fairly easy for me to find the information on The Bureau’s computers and I have also been giving them updates on your investigation.”

“But I haven’t been giving them all the details!” he quickly added.

“So, that is how they knew where to go and what to expect,” Cruz observed as he took a seat.

“Do you have any idea of where they may be holding our plane and our team?” he continued the questioning. “Our best guess is that they aren’t at the construction company’s site.”

“I have no idea,” Moe told them. “But my family most likely is with them. I know you have no reason to trust me but, please, let me help.”

Cruz and Rossi exchanged looks.

“Okay,” Rossi stood up. “Let’s go into the conference room. We have identified two possible sites and, maybe after looking at them, you can tell us which one you think is most likely to be where they are holding their hostages.”

As the three men walked towards the door, Rossi’s phone rang. After glancing at the screen, he almost dropped it as he hurriedly opened it.

“Will Reid?” he questioned anxiously. “Where are you? We have been trying to – “

He stopped and stood standing motionless in the middle of the doorway.

“What?” he demanded. “You have them and you are on your way back? They are both all right?” A grin split his face. “Thank Goodness!”

He listened for a minute. “That is something to check into,” he agreed. “Let me get with Garcia and Kevin and see what they can find. See you soon!”

Rossi looked over at the other two agents. “That was Will Reid,” he announced with a smile. “He has Emma and Spencer with him and they are on their way back! And, Emma came up with another possible way to locate the hijackers.”


	59. Chapter 59

“Man!” Morgan groaned. “If I have to spend another night on that cot my back is going to be permanently twisted out of shape!”

He moaned again as he stood up from where he had been sitting on the edge of his cot.

“This ‘stuff’ is miserable!” Blake complained as she opened yet another prepackaged meal. “Freeze dried eggs just don’t cut it. And I would like something to drink other than lukewarm bottled water.”

“Right now, a cup of Reid’s coffee sounds pretty good – Sugar and all,” Hotch agreed.

“We need a plan for getting out of here,” JJ insisted for the umpteenth time. “I know we have discussed it before, but what if we stage a medical emergency?”

“It’s obvious that they want to keep us alive and in good health,” Morgan pointed out. “If one of us needs medical attention, they are going to have to respond.”

“Not necessarily,” Hotch pointed out. “There is the possibility that they might ignore it, and we would eventually be forced to reveal that it is all a ruse. That would destroy any credibility we have with them. Instead, I suggest we start the day with some physical exercise, and then we can revisit the other escape possibilities we have discussed.”

“Exercises?” Blake questioned.

“Yes!” Hotch affirmed. “Morgan, I am sure you can come up with something we can all participate in, can’t you?”

“Of course,” Morgan flashed a grin at the small group. 

“Followed by some hand-to-hand combat training,” Hotch suggested.

“Naturally,” Morgan agreed as he strode to the middle of the room. “Now, if everyone will stand about an arm’s length apart, with their feet at about the same width as their hips – Like this - “ He took a stance.

“Great!” Blake mumbled. “Our very own drill sergeant.”

“Just think how fit you’ll be when the time comes for us to fight our way out of here,” JJ reminded her as she took the stance demonstrated by Morgan.

“And, if we end up having to walk our way out of here in search of civilization, we will need to be in shape for that, too,” Hotch commented as he took up his position.

“Sore muscles, here I come!” Blake declared.


	60. Chapter 60

“There is something the two of you need to know before we get back to the offices,” Will Reid began as he drove towards Las Vegas.

“Everyone is okay, aren’t they?” Emma questioned anxiously. “No one’s been hurt or anything.”

“As far as I know, everyone is just fine,” Will Reid assured her. “This information concerns your kidnapping.”

“It wasn’t the hijackers, was it?” Reid spoke up from the backseat.

“No, it wasn’t,” Will Reid confirmed. “It was that woman who has been stalking you – Moira Donovan.”

“You’re sure?” Reid questioned.

“Sure enough,” was the response. “Garcia verified that she is in Vegas and she actually located her on the security cameras from The Bellagio. The police are looking for her and her assumed associates, but they haven’t had much luck.”

“With all the tourists here in Vegas, that doesn’t surprise me,” Emma commented. “She probably just slipped out of town unnoticed.”

“But, why grab us and then leave us in the desert to die?” Reid questioned. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I thought she was fixated on Spencer,” Emma said thoughtfully. “That would rule out her hurting him in any way.”

“As far as I can tell, nothing about that woman makes any sense,” Will Reid commented. “But, as long as she stays away from my family, I’m not going to worry about her.”

“How is the search for the team going?” Emma questioned. “I didn’t want to say anything while we were with Miss Lacy and the ladies at Leather and Lace because Spencer and I didn’t exactly tell them the whole story.”

“That’s what I figured,” was the reply. “We are making progress, and when I told Dave about the bottled water deliveries he seemed to think that would help narrow down the search area even further.”

“There also was a film posed on-line,” he continued. “Apparently it showed the four of them, in the room they appear to be confined in and, from what I have been told, they do appear to be okay.”

“That’s a big plus,” Emma observed. “It means the hijackers aren’t interested in harming them, at least not yet. What do you think, Spencer?”

There was no reply.

“Spencer?” Emma turned to look at the back seat, where she saw Reid laying across the seat, softly snoring.


	61. Chapter 61

“Garcia,” Rossi was again invading the techs’ office. “I have something new for you to check on.”

“Lay it on me!” Garcia challenged him. “We are getting close – I can smell it! I want my favorite team back!”

“I need you to check store and vending machine deliveries in the area around the two rock cliffs that Kevin located,” Rossi told her. “Specifically, I am looking to see if any of them have significantly increased the quantity of bottled water they are having delivered.”

“Water deliveries in the wilderness coming up,” Garcia attacked her keyboard. “You are thinking that these hijackers are buying beverages locally?”

“I certainly hope so,” Rossi declared. “And, if they aren’t buying bottled water, maybe they are buying something else.”

“Okay, looking – looking – looking,” Garcia replied. “Well, it doesn’t look like any stores in that area are getting larger than usual deliveries of bottled water from their customary suppliers. However, let me check for another source.”

As Rossi waited patiently, she clicked a few more keys on her computer and then smiled. “Okay, it looks like two gas stations/quick stop stores in the southwest area of the national forest have been receiving larger than usual deliveries of energy shots,” she declared triumphantly.

“Energy shots?” Rossi questioned.

“You know, little bottles of caffeine infused drinks,” Kevin spoke up. “They keep you awake and alert when you are staying up for hours trying to focus on something. They are perfectly legal.”

“Gamers use them all the time,” Garcia contributed. “Also truck drivers.”

“You said these stores are in the southwest area?” Rossi asked thoughtfully. “That sounds familiar. I think a couple of Bear’s guys thought they had found something there. I’ll need to check the map and Will Reid’s notes.”

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

“Energy shots?” Cruz questioned when Rossi told him. “Why would they be buying energy shots?”

“To help stay alert during long periods of time standing watch and patrolling,” Moe suggested.

“They would want to involve as few people as possible in this undertaking and that would mean that everyone involved is expected to work long hours,” Rossi pointed out. “Plus, Moe here did say that he thinks the major players move in and out of the area. That would mean there are even fewer persons to help oversee this prison.”

“What have you found on the geographic profile?” Cruz asked. “Anything there?”

“Those two stores are the ones that Bear’s guys are returning to,” Rossi replied as he pointed at the map. “We should be hearing from them shortly.”

“And, they are close to the one rock cliff Kevin identified,” Agent Mitchell added. “I think we may have the place!”

Rossi’s cell phone rang and, when he checked the screen, he got a puzzle look on his face. “SSA David Rossi, FBI,” he answered it.

“Yes, that’s me,” he continued the conversation.

“Yes, they are working with us,” he confirmed.

After a brief pause he asked, “They did what?”

As Rossi listened, he got a big smile on his face.  “Okay,” he took a deep breath and looked over at the other agents “I need you to keep this under wraps. Can you handle that?”

He listened for a moment and then continued. “I assume they arrived in a vehicle of some sort? Good. Move that somewhere out of sight. Then, post a couple of your guys to keep an eye on the place, just in case anyone comes looking. Take the two prisoners back to your substation. You will need to keep them separated, and to also keep them isolated from any other prisoners you may have. The fewer people who know you have them, the better. I will also need you to take mug shots of both men and send them through to this number. I’ll have someone out there shortly to retrieve them - Actually, **I'll** be out there shortly to retrieve them.”

He listened again and then ended the conversation with a sincere, “Thanks – We really appreciate your cooperation!”

“You are not going to believe this!” Rossi grinned at the others as he closed up his phone. “We have taken our first prisoners!”


	62. Chapter 62

“Prisoners?” Agent Mitchell questioned. “Since when do we take prisoners?”

“Maybe we had better sit down while you explain this to us,” Cruz suggested. “I have a feeling this is going to be quite a tale.”

“Oh, it is!” Rossi assured him as he led the way to the conference room table and took a seat. “Now, let me see if I got this right.”

“It seems that Little Joe and Tiny did return to one of the stores Garcia identified. They were there, talking with the owner, when the man mentioned that several strangers had been coming in lately and cleaning out his supply of caffeine shots. Little Joe and Tiny reached the same conclusion we did, and promptly bought up all the stock that was currently in the store.”

“Smart move,” Cruz commented.

  
“As they were leaving the store, two men dressed in camouflage gear and driving a pick-up truck pulled into the parking lot and went into the store,” Rossi continued. “Our guys thought they looked suspicious, so they waited in the parking lot where they could see in through the window. It wasn’t long before they realized that there was an argument going on inside and that the store owner kept pointing towards them. The two men then came back out into the parking lot and began badgering Little Joe and Tiny to sell them the caffeine shots. One thing led to another, and a fight broke out.”

“Oh No!” Moe Grant gasped. “Those guys probably had guns.”

“Fortunately, they appear to have left them in their truck,” Rossi informed him. “However, during the fracas the store owner called the sheriff. Little Joe and Tiny were just getting the two prisoners settled onto the pavement, prior to calling me, when the sheriff’s deputies rolled up. They turned the prisoners over and informed the deputies that they were acting on behalf of the FBI.”

“I’ll bet the deputies didn’t believe them,” Cruz commented dryly.

“You’re right about that,” Rossi told him. “But, they did call their captain and tell him what was going on.”

“And that was who called you,” Agent Mitchell guessed.

“Yes, he’s the one who called me,” Rossi confirmed. “And, as a result, the deputies are now taking the two prisoners back to their local substation, which is located in a place called Blue Diamond - Do you know it?” the question was addressed to Larry Holmes who, along with the rest of the FAA team had just walked into the conference room escorting –

“Emma!” Rossi’s voice echoed through the building. “And Spencer! Welcome back! You, too, Will!”

“Boy, are we glad to see you!” Cruz declared. He hesitated a moment before hurrying over to give each of them a hug.

“And are we glad to be back!” Emma returned Cruz’s hug and then moved on to grab Rossi and hug him tightly while she blinked back her tears.

“Well, Girlfriend, I see you finally got some decent clothes,” Garcia’s voice came from the doorway.

“This old thing?” Emma burst out laughing as she pirouetted so everyone could admire her caftan. “It’s something I just threw on.”

“Yeah, Right!” Garcia rushed over and pulled her into a tight hug. “I will have you know, I was worried to death about you two!” Tears were starting to form in her eyes as she looked over at Reid.

“What the heck happened to My Favorite Genius?” she gasped as she noticed his hair.

“Not that there is anything wrong with it,” she added quickly.

“It seems he encountered a couple of interested females,” Emma laughed. “And, they remodeled him.”

“Well, I must say, that is a new look for you,” Rossi commented dryly. “Although, I don’t know – “

“I’ve kind of gotten used to it,” Will Reid spoke up. “And, I must say, in this climate it does make a lot more sense.”

“This layering is something.” Garcia, after her initial hesitation, had walked over and was now running her fingers through Reid’s hair. “I think that on you it works.”

She turned to Emma. “Where did you say you ran into these ‘interested females’?” she asked curiously.

Emma considered for a moment before replying – “At a brothel?”

“Excuse me?” Garcia questioned.

“After we were kidnapped we were dumped in the middle of the desert,” Reid began the story. “And, as we tried to walk our way out, we came across a brothel located way out there. We were lucky because the owner graduated from high school with my dad, and he also helped her with a legal issue not too long ago.”

“A couple of her employees took Spencer under their wing while we waited to be rescued,” Emma concluded the explanation.

“Now, Penelope, I understand you identified our kidnapper,” Emma adroitly changed the subject. “Do you have any idea of where she is now?”

“No,” Kevin spoke up from the doorway. “And we have BOLOs out for her throughout the state, as well as Arizona and California. My guess would be that she is on her way back to the DC area.”

Kevin then hesitated for a moment before walking into the conference room and holding out his arms to Emma, who promptly gave him a hug.

“I’m really glad to see you!” he told her with a smile.

“Thanks, Kevin,” she replied. “I am soy glad to be back, and I know you and Penelope worked really hard to find us.”

Reid walked over and held out his hand to shake. “Thanks,” was all he said.


	63. Chapter 63

“Blue Diamond,” Larry Holmes returned to Rossi’s earlier question. “It’s a small town about an hour’s drive northeast of here.”

“The area around there is mostly scrub, with a lot of hunting and fishing,” Frank Caldwell added. “And, the Lincoln County Sheriff has a small substation there.”

“That sounds like a good place for us to gather everyone together to stage our assault,” Rossi observed, looking at Agent Mitchell. “Any thoughts?”

“We’re sure we have the right place?” Agent Mitchell questioned anxiously.

“With the rock cliff Kevin located, along with the two men the bikers grabbed, I’d say we are definitely in the right neighborhood,” Rossi told him. “It’s just a matter of finding the road in, and I’m sure that between Bear’s guys and the satellite photos Garcia and Kevin can pull up for us we’ll have no problem with that.”

“We need to start by questioning the prisoners,” Agent Mitchell began planning. “And we’ll have to involve the Lincoln Country Sheriff’s Department, as well as the Nevada State Police.”

“The sheriff’s people are already expecting me out there,” Rossi pointed out. “What if I go out there now while you make arrangements with the other agencies? When you are done talking with them, you and everyone else here can meet me at the sheriff’s substation?”

“Sounds reasonable,” Agent Mitchell agreed.

“What about the hijackers?” Cruz looked at his watch. “We have about an hour before we hear from them again.”

“You have everything ready?” Rossi asked.

“Oh yes,” Cruz assured him. “The cash is in several athletic bags, the helicopter is standing by out at Nellis, and the rest of the money is in an account earmarked for our use. And, Garcia and Kevin are all set to try to trace that money once the transfer begins.”

“Well, hopefully, it won’t get that far,” Rossi told him. “When the call comes in, transfer it to my cell phone. They will undoubtedly have a list of instructions for us. Depending on what they are it is possible we can have these guys rounded up and under control before we are expected to begin.”

“Now, I’ll take Moe out to Blue Diamond with me,” Rossi continued. “If he recognizes these two, that might give us an opening to start the interrogation.” He looked over to where Moe Grant had been standing quietly listening.

“I don’t know,” Agent Mitchell hesitated.

“Please?” Moe asked. “It is my family out there and if there is anything I can do to help - “

“Well, okay – “ Agent Mitchell still didn’t sound sure.

“Thank you,” Moe told him. “I know my career here is probably over, but I still want to protect my credibility. I promise you, you won’t regret it.”

“I’ll get busy checking satellite photos,” Kevin told the agents. “If there is a road into that cliff area, I will find it!”

“I’ll help with that,” Garcia volunteered. She looked over at Emma and Reid. “That is, after I call Moira’s family in DC and let them know where she is and what she has been doing. I need to keep my BFF and her husband safe.”

“Thanks, Penelope!” Emma told her. “I’ll come with you. I assume you have some clothes around here that I can borrow. This dress is a little drafty!”

“And, I want to hear the rest of that story regarding the brothel,” Garcia returned as they started walking out of the room.

“And, Spencer, I want to go over the updates I have made to your map,” Will Reid told his son as he led the way to the evidence board.

Rossi’s cell phone beeped and he took a look at the screen.

“Just a minute, Garcia,” he called the tech back. “After I take a look here I am going to be sending these pictures over to you. These are the two prisoners Bear’s guys grabbed and I’ll need you to run facial recognition on them.”

“Send them over!” Garcia told him. “If information on those guys is out there anywhere, I will find it!”

“Moe,” Rossi held his phone up. “Do you recognize either of these men?”

Moe walked closer and stared at the screen. “I really can’t say,” he replied. “These pictures aren’t all that clear.”

“Well, you and Rossi get out there and take a first-hand look,” Agent Mitchell told him. “Any information you can get from them will help, although I’m not holding my breath.”

“Okay,” Rossi pushed a few buttons. “They are on their way to you, Garcia. Do your best.”

“Do I ever do anything else?” the tech challenged him.


	64. Chapter 64

With Rossi driving, the trip out to the sheriff’s substation at Blue Diamond was made in record time, and the two agents were soon introducing themselves to the Sheriff of Lincoln County.

“Sheriff Jason Landcaster,” the man introduced himself as he shook hands with Rossi. “I got out here as soon as my captain contacted me. I can’t believe we have two potential terrorists here in our jail.”

“Agents Rossi and Grant,” Rossi introduced himself and Moe. “And, unfortunately, no one is immune these days. This type of threat turns up everywhere.”

“As I told your Section Chief, Agent Cruz, I have arranged for a SWAT team to come in to help with locating and capturing the group you suspect is in this area,” the man continued. “I have also arranged for us to use the athletic field at the regional high school as a staging area.”

“That sounds like it will work,” Rossi approved the plan. “What have you done with the two prisoners?”

“Well, I need to start by apologizing,” the sheriff explained. “We don’t have very extensive facilities out here at the substation and, in order to keep the two prisoners isolated from each other, as well as from the other prisoners, we’ve had to put one of them in an interview room and the other in an unused office. Each has a deputy with them and the deputies have strict instructions not to engage. But, so far, neither of them has said a word – Not to ask for a lawyer; not even ask for a bathroom break.”

“That’s to be expected,” Rossi assured him. “We suspect these guys have been trained to withstand various interrogation techniques.”

“And, I must tell you,” the man continued. “I am quite impressed by your disguising undercover agents as bikers. That was extremely effective.”

“They’re not – “ Rossi began and then stopped himself. Better to let the locals think Bear’s guys were part of The Bureau. It would make it easier if they needed to use them again in the future.

“They are quite effective,” Rossi amended his original statement. “And, now, if we could see the prisoners?”

“Which one would you like to start with?” the sheriff asked as he led the way out of the lobby area and down the hallway.

“How about the interrogation room?” Rossi asked. “And, if we could take a look from the observation room first?”

“Right through here,” Sheriff Landcaster opened a door and ushered them into the narrow observation room.

The two agents stood and watched the prisoner, who was seated at a table in the interrogation room, for several minutes.

“Well, Moe?” Rossi asked. “Do you recognize him?”

“I’m not sure,” Moe replied slowly. “I may have seen him at a gathering of Mariam’s family about – maybe – a year ago. I want to say he came with one of her second cousins – The troublemakers. But, I can’t be really sure.”

“That’s okay,” Rossi assured him. “Let’s take a look at his partner.”

Before the group could head back into the hallway, Rossi’s cell phone rang. After checking the screen, he answered. “Hello, Garcia. You have something for me?”

“And,” he added quickly, “I am putting you on speaker.”

He looked over at Sheriff Landcaster. “Is there a conference room or office around here we can use?” he asked.

“You can use my office,” the sheriff opened a nearby door and stood back so the agents could enter.

“You, too,” Rossi assured the sheriff as he and Moe walked into the room.

“No problem, My Favorite Italian,” Garcia’s voice came out of the speaker. “I want to let you know that my facial recognition software has identified one of the men you are out there ‘visiting’.”

“Which one, Garcia?” Rossi asked.

“Prisoner B,” Garcia replied. “Prisoner A is still unidentified, but I am checking!”

“That would be the one in the office,” Sheriff Landcaster commented. “The one you haven’t seen yet.”

“Well, when you see him, say ‘Hello’ to Ali Mohammed Hasnali,” Garcia said. “Because that is the name this scumbag goes by.”

“What can you tell us about him?” Rossi questioned.

“I can tell you a lot,” Garcia replied. “But, right now, let’s just stick to the basics. He was born Eric Johnston in Caliente, Nevada. That’s not too far from where you are now.”

“That would account for the group’s knowledge of this area,” Sheriff Landcaster commented.

“After growing up and graduating from high school, our incipient terrorist joined the Navy as a – get this – an airplane mechanic,” Garcia continued her report. “He was assigned to and worked on several aircraft carriers, successfully completing one tour of duty in the Middle East. He was midway through his second tour when his Navy career was derailed.”

“I would assume he ran into trouble?” Rossi questioned.

“As always, you are 100% correct,” was the reply. “It seems that Airplane Mechanic Second Class Eric Johnston was caught red handed selling illegal drugs on board his ship. He was convicted, sentenced, and sent to the brig for a minimum of five (5) years.”

“Do they still send people to the brig?” she questioned as an afterthought.

“I’m sure I don’t know, Penelope,” Rossi told her.

“Well, anyway, it appears that while he was in the brig, our disgraced Navy mechanic saw the light, converted to the Islamic religion, and changed his name,” Garcia continued her recitation. “However, there is no indication that he was involved with an extremist branch of that religion at that time.”

“When he was finally released from the brig, Ali Hasnali got a job working as an airplane mechanic for a private charter jet company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. And, he was employed there until he didn’t show up for work one morning about five weeks ago. Obviously, he has been terminated.”

“Well, that explains how he knew how to fly our jet,” Rossi observed. “At least, at this point, I would assume he was the pilot.”

“There is another aircraft mechanic missing as well,” Garcia told him. “An individual by the name of Ron Wilson, also known as Abdi Kalli, didn’t show up for work about four weeks ago. And, his specialty is – as you probably guessed – helicopters.”

“And there is our other pilot,” Rossi declared. “Do you have a picture of him?”

“Sending it through to your phone even as we speak,” was the response.

“Thanks, Penelope!” Rossi told her as he checked his screen. “Now, we have something to go on when we start this interview.”


	65. Chapter 65

Sheriff Landcaster led the two agents down the hallway and stopped in front of another door.

“I’m sorry – If you want to see him I’ll have to open the door and he will see you. There isn’t any other way,” he apologized.

“Well, if he is going to see us anyway, we may as well just walk in,” Rossi stated. “Let’s go!”

When the office door opened, the man sitting at the table looked up with an expressionless face. He watched impassively as Rossi and Moe walked in and took seats across the table from him.

“So, Mr. Johnson, it seems you have attracted the attention of the FBI,” Rossi began the conversation as he placed a closed file on the table.

 _“La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasoolu Allah,”_ was the chanted reply.

“That may be,” Rossi replied unperturbed. “But that’s not what we are here to discuss this afternoon.”

 _“La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasoolu Allah.”_ There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger,” was the reply.

“So, you are Eric Johnston,” Rossi opened the file he had placed on the table in front of him and began reading from it. “And, you were dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Navy.”

“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger,” was the reply.

“While you were in the Navy and also during the time you worked as an aircraft mechanic in Utah you learned how to fly private jets,” Rossi wasn’t to be distracted. “And, you subsequently hijacked a government jet along with its four passengers, who just happen to be FBI agents.”

“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger,” was the reply.

“And, as a result of your actions, you are undoubtedly looking at spending the rest of your lifetime in jail,” Rossi concluded. “Is that really what you want?”

“Death To The Unbelievers!” the prisoner glared directly at Moe.

“That’s enough!” Rossi glanced over at Moe. “I think we have everything we need here.”

Picking up the folder, Rossi led the way out of the office.


	66. Chapter 66

It wasn’t long before Section Chief Cruz had finished making arrangements for the Nevada State Police to join the Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputies at the high school athletic field outside Blue Diamond. He still had no idea of how many people they would be encountering when they got to the hijackers’ encampment, and he wanted to be ready for anything.

As he and Agent Mitchell were packing up their paperwork in preparation to leaving the FAA offices in Las Vegas, Garcia and Kevin charged into the conference room. Garcia was waving several pieces of paper and had a huge smile on her face.

“We found it!” she announced triumphantly. “We – Have – Found – It!”

“The encampment that was built using the insulated panels, and the road into it,” Kevin explained.

“And I have the directions all printed out for you, along with satellite pictures!” Garcia announced.

Smiling at her enthusiasm, Cruz accepted the handful of papers from her and began examining them. “There appear to be several structures on this site,” he observed as he looked at the photos. “I would assume that means Moe’s family is also being held there. And, it appears that there is a long, flat, cleared area leading into the encampment. That could be where they landed the plane.”

“That certainly sounds reasonable,” Agent Mitchell agreed, as he took his turn with the pictures.

“So, when we go in, everyone involved will need to be aware of the fact that we may be dealing with children,” he added as he took his beeping cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen.

“Okay,” he announced as he read the screen. “The team has completed their initial sweep of the Secure Facilities Construction Company site and they have come up empty. And, it looks like none of the equipment parked out there has been moved for quite some time. They are getting ready to do a second, more comprehensive sweep of the area, but they aren’t particularly hopeful.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Cruz suggested. “This group is too good to leave anything incriminating lying around. Why don’t you leave a skeleton crew there, just in case someone does show up, and have the rest of your people join us in Blue Diamond?”

“Good idea,” Agent Mitchell agreed as he began pushing buttons on his cell phone. “Let me get that organized and then we can head out.”

“If you don’t mind,” Reid spoke up from where he was standing in front of the evidence boards. “I would like to come with you.”

“I don’t know – ” Agent Mitchell began, looking up from his cell.

“I’ll only go as far as the staging area,” Reid volunteered.

“Only as far as the staging area?” Cruz confirmed.

“Yes,” Reid replied. “I promise - I’ll stay there. This is my team and I really need to know what is going on. I need to be involved in this rescue mission. Please?”

“Let him go,” Garcia spoke up. “Because, if you don’t, I will take him and we will probably arrive out there before you do!”

“She’s right, you know,” Cruz glanced over at Agent Mitchell. “When the two of them put their heads together – “

“Okay – But you stay at the staging area,” Agent Mitchell warned Reid.

“Great,” Garcia told him. “Now – Go out there and get my team back!”


	67. Chapter 67

From the way the sunlight was coming through the roof, the four imprisoned agents guessed that it was early afternoon. They had already finished lunch and were now scattered around their one room prison either reading or writing.

All of a sudden, Morgan raised his head and looked around.

“Something has changed,” he stated. 

“What do you mean?” JJ asked as she also raised her head and looked around.

“Something is different,” Morgan insisted. “I don’t know what it is, but the atmosphere around here just feels – different.”

“I suppose that subconsciously we have been picking up on the various moods and attitudes of our captors,” Hotch remarked cautiously. 

“And, it’s not just the atmosphere,” Blake observed thoughtfully. “I keep getting the feeling that there is a lot of movement going on out there - Like maybe they are packing up and getting ready for a change of location.”

“Could they be getting ready to release us?” JJ suggested optimistically. 

“That is one possibility,” Hotch agreed. “Or, they could be getting ready to – “ He left the unthinkable unsaid.

“They have made arrangements for our release!” Morgan was definite. “Rossi and Reid have come through and we are getting out of here. I can feel it!”

“We’ll see - ,” Blake commented. “We’ll see – “


	68. Chapter 68

“Good – Here you are. We have been waiting for you to arrive before we get started,” Rossi commented as Cruz, Reid, and Agent Mitchell joined him, Moe, and Sheriff Landcaster, standing at the edge of the athletic field.

“Try to keep us away,” Cruz commented grimly.

“Have you found them?” Reid asked anxiously.

“Why don’t you bring us up to date?” Agent Mitchell requested.

“First off, I’d like you to meet Sheriff Landcaster,” Rossi began. “He has been coordinating the Lincoln County SWAT team with the Nevada State Police’s unit.”

“Agents Cruz and Mitchell, and Dr. Reid,” he introduced the new arrivals.

“Doctor?” the sheriff questioned. “We have already made arrangements for several of the local EMS teams to join us. They should be arriving shortly.”

“I’m not that type of doctor,” Reid corrected him. “I am part of the BAU team that is being held captive.”

“Well, don’t worry,” the sheriff assured him. “We are doing everything in our power to get them back.”

He raised his head and looked over towards the road. “What the - ? ?“

He stared transfixed as several motorcycles roared off the road and onto the field before coming to a stop. The four riders, all wearing their gang colors, sat for a minute observing the law officers before climbing off their bikes and walking over.

“Writer Man,” the leader greeted Rossi. “And, Professor,” he nodded to Reid.

“Bear,” Rossi participated in a complicated handshake with the gang leader. “What brings you out here?”

“Well, I think we have something for you,” Bear told him. “Is there somewhere we can go to talk?”

“I have a command center trailer all set up,” Sheriff Landcaster was willing to accept the gang members as undercover FBI agents.

“Let’s go, Man,” was Bear’s response.

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

After everyone was settled around the conference table in the Command Center, Bear looked over at Rossi.

“I think we found a way into the area where your guys are being held,” he told the agent.

“How - ??” Agent Mitchell asked.

“After they captured those two over-caffeinated idiots, my guys started nosing around,” Bear began. “They figured that their hideout had to be somewhere close to that store – Mainly because the hood on their truck didn’t appear to be very warm to the touch.”

“Makes sense,” Cruz observed.

“So, Little Joe and Tiny started exploring every side road and overgrown trail they could locate in the immediate area,” Bear continued.

“It didn’t take long,” Little Joe chimed in.

“From the road it looks more like a footpath that a side road, but once we took a closer look we realized that the bushes had been placed so they could easily be pushed back to allow vehicles to drive through,” Tiny explained. “And, after about 50 feet or so, the drive opens up further. As we went down it, we could see a couple of guys, dressed in camo and holding rifles, just standing there.”

“I don’t think they saw us,” Little Joe told the agents. “We had left our bikes by the road and walked in. So, we just backed out of there, met up with Bear, and then headed over here.”

Reid spread a map out on the table. “Can you show us where this trail is?” he asked.

The men studied the map for a few minutes.

“Right about here,” Tiny finally pointed at an area. “Like I said, from the road there appears to be just some bushes growing there. But, once you take a closer look, you can tell that they have been transplanted quite recently. And, as I said, after you get a ways down the trail, it widens out.”

“Okay,” Cruz pulled out a satellite photo. “Let’s see how that coordinates with this.”

It didn’t take long for the agents to realize that the area Garcia and Kevin had identified was the same area Tiny and Little Joe had spotted.

“Okay, how do we handle this?” Sheriff Landcaster questioned. “That trail into the compound is a little too narrow for our attack vehicles.”

“So, we don’t send them in first,” Agent Mitchell suggested. “We send in some of our guys on foot.”

“What about if we distract them first?” Little Joe suggested. “Catch the two guards we saw off guard. Maybe get the two of them out of the way before the major assault.”

“And, how would you suggest we do that?” Rossi asked.

“How about if we just cruise on in there and say ‘Hi!’,” Tiny smiled at him.

“Well, that sounds all nice and friendly,” the sheriff commented. “But how safe do you think that will be?”

His cell phone rang and he automatically glanced at the screen. “Just a minute,” he flipped it open.

“Sheriff Landscomb,” he answered.

“Yes? You got TWO of them?” the conversation continued.

“That’s right. Pack them up and bring them back to the substation,” he told the caller. “No conversation and when they get here, keep them in isolation from the other prisoners as well as each other. Good Work!” He concluded the call with a smile as he closed up his phone.

“Okay,” Sheriff Landscomb looked over at the agents. “It seems we have two fewer bodies to worry about when we get to the compound.”

“Your deputies captured them at the store?” Rossi questioned.

“That’s right,” the sheriff confirmed. “They came to the store looking for their missing partners and the two guys I had waiting there grabbed them.”

“Great!” Cruz exclaimed. “Now, let’s go get the rest of them!”


	69. Chapter 69

“It’s been a long time since I’ve worn one of these,” Tiny commented as he fastened his Kevlar vest.

“Former military?” Cruz asked, surprised.

“Yeah – Way former!” Tiny confirmed as he pulled his black leather jacket on over the vest.

“Kevlar vest and you know how to discover a concealed trail – “ Cruz was starting to put the facts together.

“That was a long time ago, Man,” Tiny glared at him.

“Ready?” he looked over at Little Joe.

“This thing weighs a ton,” Little Joe griped as he finished fastening his vest. “Are you sure I need it?”

“It beats the alternative,” Sheriff Landscomb pointed out. “Now, is everyone on the same page?”

“We go in first and lure out the two guys we saw standing guard on the trail,” Tiny began reviewing the plan.

“As soon as we have them out of position, we call for your people to come in,” Little Joe continued.

“And then we move in and begin clearing the place out while searching for their prisoners,” Sheriff Landcaster finished.

“Okay - Off we go!” Tiny and Little Joe roared off on their bikes.

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

The two bikers had only gone a short distance down the road when they noticed a lone figure standing next to the pavement waving them down.

“Professor? What are you doing out here?” Tiny exclaimed after they had pulled over and stopped.

“Take me with you,” Reid asked. “That is my team in there and, despite what everyone says, I need to be involved in this.”

The two bikers exchanged glances.

“Well, we do have our reputation for going rogue to uphold,” Tiny grinned mischievously.

“Can’t let an opportunity like this go to waste,” Little Joe agreed.

“Okay, Professor. Here’s my spare helmet – Hop on,” Tiny handed the helmet to Reid.

“And, hold tight!” he added as he pulled back onto the road.


	70. Chapter 70

As the agents watched the two SWAT teams prepare for the assault, Rossi’s cell phone rang.

He glanced at the screen and then looked up at the others. “Okay, here we go,” he announced before walking a short distance away and opening his phone.

“Agent Rossi,” he answered the call.

“Agent Rossi,” the hollow sounding voice was back. “Are you ready to meet our demands?”

“Everything is in position,” Rossi assured his caller. “We have the $5 million in cash, the Blackhawk is waiting at Nellis, and the $20 million is in a bank account waiting to be transferred. Now, do you have our agents ready to be returned?”

“All in due time,” was the reply. “Your agents will be returned to you after we have verified that you have followed our instructions to the letter and that we have what we want. Here are your instructions, and I remind you again that they are to be followed to the letter. When we are satisfied, you will be told where to find your people.”

“Understood,” Rossi replied.

“I am giving you an address,” the voice continued. “The cash is to be delivered there, in unmarked bills and without dye packs, packed into athletic bags. Leave the bags next to the clothing donation box located at the front left-hand side of the parking lot. Once we have verified that all the money is accounted for, you will receive your next set of instruction.”

“The address?” Rossi inquired.

“12275 Greenfield Highway,” was the reply. “You have one hour.” The line went dead.

“Where is that address?” Cruz asked as he bent over the map.

“Right about here,” Sheriff Landcaster pointed.

“I’m not sure, but I think that is the second store Garcia located when she was looking into the energy shots,” Rossi was pulling out his phone and calling.

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

“Garcia?” Rossi spoke into his cell phone.

“It is I,” was the response. “Do you have my team back yet – I should say the rest of my team because you and Reid are part of my team too, but – “

“Garcia!” Rossi interrupted her. “I have a question for you. And – Where are you? I can hear what sounds like cartoons in the background.”

“I hope you don’t mind,” Garcia told him. “But, I’m over at the hotel room with Will and Sean and the boys. I wanted to see my godson, and Will and Sean are getting antsy, and I brought my laptop with me so I can keep up with everything. Plus, Kevin and Will Reid are back at the conference room with the computers and the evidence boards and the maps.” She stopped to catch her breath.

“What do you need me to find?” she concluded.

“I am going to give you an address,” Rossi told her. “And I need to know if it is anywhere near the second store that was selling out of energy shots.”

“Fire away!” Garcia challenged him.

“12275 Greenfield Highway,” Rossi told her.

“BINGO!” Garcia cheered. “That is the second store. Does that mean anything?”

“It means we have another piece of the puzzle,” Rossi told her. “We are getting closer!”

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

“Okay,” Rossi told the others. “That is the other store we were getting ready to check out.”

“Money delivery?” Agent Mitchell asked.

“Go ahead and get your guy started on it,” Rossi told him. “If need be, we can always call him off. But, in the meantime, we need to check the place out.”

Bear looked over at the young man who had been standing quietly behind him since he had arrived and nodded. Without a word, the man walked out the door and, within a minute everyone, could hear the sounds of a motorcycle starting up and driving off.

“Doesn’t say much, does he?” Sheriff Landcaster observed.

“Chad knows when to say something,” Bear replied.

“Okay, now that we have another point, Reid needs to update our geographic profile.” Rossi looked around the room and frowned.

“Where is Reid?” he questioned.

“He left a while back,” Bear told him with a smirk. “Seemed to be in a bit of a hurry.”

“OH NO!” Rossi groaned.


	71. Chapter 71

“Hey There!” Tiny cheerfully greeted the two camouflage clad guards as he pushed his bike down the dirt trail. “I wonder if you could help us.”

The two guards immediately came to attention and pointed their rifles at the three intruders.

“No need for that,” Little Joe assured them as he gestured towards the bike he was pushing along the path.

“We just need some help,” Reid added his voice to the conversation.

“You need to turn around and get out of here!” one of the guards told them.

“Immediately!” the other added.

“Hey, Man, is that any way to treat a weary traveler?” Tiny questioned.

“Besides, we can’t get out of here,” Little Joe added. “Our bikes seem to be broken.”

“ **I** think they just got a bad batch of gas,” Reid chimed in. “But, they won’t listen to me!”

“Your bikes just died?” the first guard was intrigued.

“Doesn’t sound right,” the second guard agreed as he lowered his rifle.

“Where did you put your last batch of gas in?” the first guard questioned. “There are several places around here where I wouldn’t buy gas.” He also lowered his rifle.

“Just down the road,” Tiny replied, gesturing back the way they had come. “It seemed like that place we stopped at did a lot of business.”

Little Joe put the stand down on his bike and then reached over to open the gas cap. Peering in he observed, “It doesn’t look like there is water floating on top of the gas, or is it the other way around?”

“If there was water mixed in with the gas, it would definitely float to the top,” Reid began authoritatively. “Water, being less dense, rises to the top in a situation like this.”

“Well, I don’t see anything,” Little Joe repeated.

“Let me take a look,” the first guard suggested as he walked over to where the bike was parked and leaned over to take a look.

As he moved closer to them, Tiny, Little Joe, and Reid exchanged looks. Moving quickly, Tiny closed in on the second guard, smashing a fist into his face and then grabbing his rifle. At the same time, Little Joe smashed his elbow into the back of the first guard’s neck, knocking him down while Reid grabbed his rifle.

“Two more down,” Little Joe declared as he looked at the two men lying on the ground.

“Amateurs,” Tiny declared derisively.

“We need to move them out of here,” Reid pointed out. “Just in case someone comes looking for them.”

“Two packages for pick-up,” Tiny spoke into his concealed microphone. “And, it’s time to pay a visit to the homestead.”

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

“Okay,” Garcia looked around the hotel suite. “Is everyone ready for a road trip?”

“YEAH!” the two boys cheered.

“Where are we going, Aunt Penny?” Henry asked.

“Just down the road a bit,” was the vague reply.

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Kevin asked nervously. “You know Agent Rossi thinks we are staying here. I don’t want him getting mad at me.”

“Well, I don’t care!” Sean declared. “That is my brother out there, and I want to know more than the platitudes they have been handing us for the past several days!”

“Uncle Sean, what is a platitude?” Jack asked.

“Um – m – m,“ Sean didn’t know what to tell his nephew.

“It’s a nice story,” Garcia broke in.

“I understand that the local LEOS have their own way of handling things, but I have my way,” Will broke in. “And I need to see what they are doing!”

“We have been playing nice for too long now,” Garcia declared. “Mr. Reid?”

She turned and looked at Spencer’s father, who was busy talking on the suite’s telephone.

“Well, we are all set!” he told them as he put down the receiver. “That was the hotel concierge and the passenger van I asked him to get for us has just arrived. Who’s driving?”

“I still don’t know about this,” Kevin mumbled as they left the suite.


	72. Chapter 72

“Two packages for pick-up?” Sheriff Landscomb repeated the message. “That’s our cue. Let’s move in!”

The combined SWAT team had been patiently waiting down the road from the trail entrance that Tiny and Little Joe had located, and they now began moving quickly down it in single file.

“Keep going,” Little Joe waved them past when the team arrived at the point where the motorcycles were parked.

“We don’t know what is up there,” Tiny added. “But, they didn’t have an opportunity to warn anyone. So, whoever is there, you should be able to catch them by surprise.”

Silently, the SWAT team followed the trail further into the woods. When they reached the edge of the clearing, everyone spread out to watch and wait. The first thing they noticed was that there didn’t appear to be much movement going on. All they could see was two men, hurrying between the buildings.

“How many buildings are there?” the team leader murmured into his microphone.

“Four,” Sheriff Landscomb told him.

“Well, we can see three of them clearly,” he observed. “And, the place seems to be pretty empty. We’re going in!”

“Good luck!” was the reply.

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

Morgan stopped midway in his pacing around the perimeter of the room. “What was that?” he asked, tilting his head to listen.

“I thought I heard something, too,” Blake replied. “But, I’m not sure what it was.”

“Movement of some sort?” JJ guessed. “And, I think it is coming closer.”

“No one has come near this room, let alone into it since we were put in here,” Hotch observed. “There can only be one reason why they are coming now.”

“This could be our only chance to escape,” JJ pointed out. “And, we do have a plan in place.”

“Positions everyone,” Hotch ordered. “And, be ready for anything!”

As the four agents stood ready to attack whoever was coming through the door, they heard what sounded like bolts being cut.

“Cutting their way in?” Blake spoke up. “That can’t be the guys who put us in here. They would have the keys or know the combination or whatever it takes to open the door.”

“Hotch?” she looked over at her boss. “I don’t think – “

“Neither do I,” Hotch replied. “However, we can’t take anything for granted. Hold your positions everyone.“


	73. Chapter 73

Rossi, accompanied by Bear, Cruz, Moe Grant, and Agent Mitchell, followed the SWAT team towards the hijackers’ encampment. As he passed the spot where Little Joe and Tiny were sitting watching their captives, he slowed down. Looking around the small clearing, he realized that if Reid had been with the two bikers earlier, he definitely was not with them now.

“Hey there Writer Man,” Tiny gave him a knowing grin as he walked past.

“Hey,” Rossi replied. He began to walk on, but hesitated as he heard Bear’s cell phone ring. He stopped to listen.

“Chad?” Bear answered his phone.

“Okay, good,” was the next comment. “I was expecting something like that – I’ll pass the information along. Why don’t you meet up with us at the hospital? We should have everything wrapped up here pretty soon and that will be our next stop.”

“What did he find?” Agent Mitchell had also stopped to listen.

“Spy cameras in a couple of the trees,” Bear explained. “They seemed to be focused on the area around the clothing donation bin. Chad doesn’t know if anyone realized that he noticed them, but I don’t think that matters now – Does it?”

“We should know in a couple of minutes,” Agent Mitchell replied.

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

“Okay, hold our positions,” Hotch instructed as the noise continued outside the door to their prison.

Suddenly, the noise stopped and the door began to slowly open.

“Agents?” a voice called out. “Agents Hotchner, Jareau, Morgan, and Blake, are you in here?”

“Yes!” JJ shouted. “We are in here!”

Hotch had positioned himself directly in front of the door so he would be in clear view of anyone coming through, and Morgan had taken up a position behind him. As they stood warily watching, the door swung the rest of the way open revealing two men dressed in SWAT gear.

“Hotch!” the exclamation came from behind the SWAT team members as they were unceremoniously pushed to one side and Reid, wearing an oversized flack vest, charged past them and into the room.

“Morgan, Blake, JJ!” his voice echoed through the room. “You’re all here!”

“Spence?” JJ wasn’t sure she was seeing right. “Spence – Is it really you?” She tackled him and threw her arms around him pulling him into a tight hug.

“Reid, Man, Am I glad to see you!” Morgan began pounding his teammate on the back.

“Spencer?” Blake was blinking back tears as she joined JJ in hugging their colleague.

“Reid,” Hotch was now wearing a grin. “Good to see you, but what the heck happened to your hair?”

“Yeah, Spence,” JJ pulled back and looked. “What the - ?”

“I kind of got remodeled?” Reid remembered Emma’s explanation.

“So, while we were sitting in here wondering whether we would ever get out alive, you were visiting a hair salon?” Morgan questioned with a grin.

“Well, we were grabbed and dumped in the middle of the desert and when we tried to walk out we ran into this place that turned out to be a brothel and the women there helped us and – “ Reid began rambling.

“Whoa – Whoa – Whoa – Reid,” Hotch stopped him. “It sounds like you have had a much more exciting time than we have, but you can give us all the details later. Right now, let’s just get out of here.” He glanced over at the two SWAT team members who had opened the door.

“Yeah, it’s safe,” one of them smiled at him.

“This way,” the other gestured towards the outside.


	74. Chapter 74

When the four former captives finally stepped outside of their prison, they had to stop for a moment to let their eyes adjust to the bright afternoon sunshine.

As they looked around at the other buildings in the encampment, JJ suddenly gasped.

“There are kids in here?” she questioned horrified as she noticed a woman clutching two pre-teen children huddled next to one of the other buildings.

Before she could begin walking in their direction, a man broke away from a group which had just entered the clearing and began running towards the small family.

“Mariam!” he gathered the woman in his arms. “Mariam, you and the children - You’re okay?”

“I am sorry Moe!” she sobbed. “I am so, so sorry!”

“That is Agent Moe Grant,” Rossi walked over to join them. “And, that is his family. The hijackers were holding them captive, too.”

“So, that is how they were getting their information,” Hotch guessed. “They were threatening his family.”

“Aaron!” Rossi beamed at his colleague and then unhesitatingly wrapped him up in a bear hug.

“Dave!” Hotch returned the hug.

“Families!” JJ exclaimed. “I need to call mine – I need to let Will and Henry know I am okay.”

“And I need to contact Jessica and Jack,” Hotch added.

“Don’t worry,” Cruz had joined the reunion. “Will and Henry, and Jack and Sean, are all here in a hotel in Vegas. I will let them know you are okay and as soon as you have been cleared by the doctors at the hospital, you can be on your way to join them.”

“That might not be necessary,” Bear walked over and held up his cell phone. “According to my guy, they left the hotel in a passenger van about half an hour ago and, from the way the van was moving, they might beat us to the hospital!”

“I don’t need a hospital, Man!” Morgan declared. “I just need to get out of this place and into a shower and some clean clothes!”

“That goes for me, too,” Blake declared. “But I need to call James first.”

“You can call him right now,” Cruz handed her his cell phone. “I have him on speed dial #7.”

“Matt?” JJ had been staring at her old friend. “Matt Cruz – You’re here too?” She broke down in tears.

“Come on, JJ, let’s get you out of here,” Cruz put his arm around her and, assisted by Reid, began helping her down the trail.

“Let’s get all of you out of here,” Rossi added as he wiped the tears out of his eyes. “Let’s go home!”


	75. Chapter 75

The arrival of multiple ambulances at the emergency room of the small local hospital was tumultuous. Moe Grant had initially been torn between riding with his wife, Mariam, in one vehicle versus riding with his two children in another. Agent Mitchell quickly made the decision for him.

“You go with your wife,” he dictated. “The two of you need to talk. I’ll ride with the kids.” Moe gave him a grateful look and nodded in agreement before climbing into the ambulance with Mariam.

When the family’s two ambulances arrived at the hospital, Agent Mitchell made sure that they were immediately whisked off into a private area within the emergency rooms.

The two prisoners Tiny and Little Joe had captured (“I didn’t hit him that hard!” Tiny had protested) were, upon arrival, immediately taken into custody by the state police and put under armed guard while the doctor on duty checked them out.

“They’ll live,” was the laconic diagnosis. “Just give them some aspirin and then lock them up for life!”

JJ and Blake were the first members of the BAU team to arrive. As JJ’s gurney was wheeled through the door into the emergency room lobby, she was greeted by shouts of “Mama - Mama!” by Henry, while Will immediately smothered her in hugs and kisses. Blake’s entry was heralded by cheers from Garcia and Emma, both of whom wasted no time in enveloping her in a group hug.

“I just want you to know, that Matt Cruz has been talking with James regularly,” Emma told the linguist when they finally let go of each other. “And, I understand that you just called him?”

“Yes,” Blake held up the phone Cruz had given her. “And, he said that you and Cruz and Garcia have all been just wonderful. Thank You!”

“My pleasure,” Emma assured her as one of the hospital orderlies began moving Blake’s gurney into an examination cubicle.

The next ambulance to pull in contained both Hotch and Morgan, and their arrival was much more boisterous.

“Sir, you need to lie down.” It was obvious that the long-suffering EMS tech was doing her best to deal with a very irritable Agent Derek Morgan.

“I don’t need anything, Man,” Morgan grouched at her. “Just get me some clean clothes and let me go home!”

“Maybe you don’t,” she agreed. “But I am willing to bet that your boss needs to have you checked out and cleared before you can go back to work. Right, Boss?” She looked over at Hotch.

“Right!” Hotch agreed as they were both wheeled through the emergency room door. “Even I need to be checked out. So, let’s get this over with!”

“Aaron – Boy is it good to see you!” Sean declared as his brother was wheeled into the waiting area of the emergency room.

“Daddy!” Jack cheered. “You got the bad guys!”

“I hope so, Buddy, I certainly hope so,” Hotch told him son. “And, Sean, you have no idea how good it is to see you!” He treated both of them to one of his rare smiles before sharing hugs with them.

“Okay, Okay - Examine me and then let me go!” Morgan was grouching as they wheeled him through the door. “And, I do intend to walk out of here!”

Yes, Sir,” the EMS tech replied resignedly. “However, please keep in mind that the doctor makes the final decision, not me.”

“Morgan – Derek - My most favorite Adonis - Are you okay?” Garcia called out as she ran across the waiting room. “You have no idea – You scared me half to death!” She wiped the tears from her face as she came to a stop next to his gurney.

“Baby Girl! I am just fine! No tears now, okay?” Morgan held his arms out to hug her. “I’m just fine!”

“You’ve lost weigh!” Garcia exclaimed as she pulled out of the hug.

“Probably,” Morgan conceded. “But, please, whatever you do, don’t tell my mother!”

“Your mother?” Garcia questioned surprised.

“Yeah - My mother! She’ll immediately pack up all her cooking paraphernalia and descend upon me for an extended visit,” Morgan explained. “And, as much as I love my mother – “

“OH!” Garcia squealed. “Now I know what scares my big, bad, sexy six pack, FBI guy – His mother!”

“Garcia, Please?” Morgan begged as he was wheeled off to an examination cubicle.


	76. Chapter 76

The emergency room doctor and his staff quickly set to work examining all the newly arrived BAU patients. As soon as the doctor had finished with each team member, and while they were patiently waiting for test results to come back from the lab, they received a visit from Garcia, distributing the new hospital scrubs and underwear that she had rounded up for them.

“I know this isn’t what you usually wear, Sir, but it is clean and I will have you know that Sean and Jack got your ‘unmentionables’ for you,” she told Hotch when it was his turn.

“Garcia, after everything you and Kevin have done over the past few days to help find us, all I can say is ‘Thank You!’ “ Hotch told her gratefully. “And let me assure you that anything you picked out for me will be just fine!”

“My pleasure, Sir, My pleasure! And just let me say that I am so happy you are okay,” Garcia replied as tears began forming in her eyes. “Now, why don’t you go take your shower? And, while you are doing that I’ll find Section Chef Cruz and send him in. He wants to speak with you. Then, after him, Sean and Jack will be in to see you.” She scuttled out of the cubicle.

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

When Hotch came out of the shower, dressed in the green scrubs Garcia had brought him, Cruz was pacing around the exam cubicle.

“Aaron,” the huge smile on Cruz’s face said it all as he walked over to greet the Team Leader.

“Matt,” Hotch hesitated, and then put his arms around his boss, hugging him. When the two men had finished pounding each other on their respective backs, Cruz stepped back and surveyed the other man.

“You have lost weight,” he observed.

“We all have,” Hotch replied. “How are the others? Is everyone okay?”

“According to the doctor, so far so good,” Cruz replied. “Of course, he is still waiting for the results from the lab. As of now, however, he doesn’t have any problem with all of you getting out of here within the next few hours.”

“Good,” Hotch replied as he took a seat on the examination table. “Now, what did you find in that compound?”

“As far as personnel are concerned, there were only four individuals there,” Cruz began as he sat down in the visitor’s chair. “Two of them decided to put up a fight. One of them is dead and the other is currently in surgery. The other two wisely decided to surrender.”

“Only four?” Hotch questioned. “That doesn’t seem right. This entire operation seemed to be the brainchild of some manipulating mastermind. His ego would have demanded many more sycophants.”

“Well,” Cruz smirked. “Before we got to you, we had already captured six others when they were off site. Took them all with a minimum of violence – Thanks in large part to help we received from Dr. Reid’s wife’s family.”

“Bear and his gang?” Hotch questioned surprised.

“Yep!” Cruz grinned. “That’s quite a crew that young lady has connections with. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

“That’s ten men total,” Hotch said thoughtfully. “Are you sure you got everyone?”

“Well, the rumors we have heard have the leader of this group traveling around the countryside, proselytizing, and recruiting for other terrorist cells,” Cruz replied. “But, as of now, that is no longer any of our concern. The compound has been sealed off and is now Homeland Security’s problem.”

“Now,” Cruz smiled. “I need to get out of here. There is a very excited young man and a not-much-older, but very stressed out young man waiting to come in to see you.”


	77. Chapter 77

 

Standing outside the hospital’s emergency room entrance, Rossi and Agent Mitchell were deep in conversation.

“What about Moe Grant?” Rossi asked the Head of the Nevada Field Office.

Agent Mitchell sadly shook his head. “Moe’s career with The Bureau is probably finished,” he replied. “I’ll do what I can, but I don’t hold out much hope. He was trying to save his family, but what he did – “

“That’s a shame,” Rossi said thoughtfully. “He seems like a good man.”

“One of the best I have ever worked with,” Agent Mitchell replied. “I will hate to see him go. However, for someone with his qualifications, there are numerous opportunities out there in the private sector, and I will do my best to see that he gets an opportunity to take advantage of them.”

“Gentlemen,” Emma walked out the automatic door and came over to join them.

“Good evening, Dr. Porter,” Agent Mitchell smiled at her. “You seem to have come through your ordeal relatively unscathed.”

“I was lucky,” Emma told him with a smile.

“Well, if you two will excuse me, I have to start interviewing people and gathering information,” Agent Mitchell said with a sigh. “I really don’t want to think about the paperwork I will have to fill out regarding this entire episode.”

“Get with Matt Cruz,” Rossi suggested. “He has much more experience with this type of situation that you do.”

“Thanks for the suggestion,” Agent Mitchell replied. “If we can coordinate everything – “ He walked back into the hospital.

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

“Well, that’s the end of that,” Emma sighed as she looked at the darkening evening sky.

“Everyone is safe, that’s the main thing,” Rossi observed. “And, once they are cleared by the doctors, we need to get them settled somewhere for the night.”

Emma smiled at Rossi. “No problem,” she assured him. “Sean, Aaron, and Jack are going back to my apartment because Sean wants to cook. My kitchen isn’t exactly a gourmet set-up, but I am sure he can make do. JJ and Will will be taking Henry back to the hotel suite you and Mr. Reid originally got for Spencer and me. I suspect that once Henry is sound asleep that bottle of champagne will be put to good use, and I also suspect that JJ is going to look spectacular in that frilly nightwear someone provided. You will probably be getting a big ‘Thank You’ from Will.”

“And,” she paused to give him a smirk. “Nine months from now, who knows?”

“Nine months?” Rossi asked innocently.

“Dave,” Emma chastised him. “When I went through that suite with Will, moving non-kid approved items out of the way, the one thing I noticed was the conspicuous absence of condoms. Were you and Dad hoping for something to happen?”

“You will have to talk to Will about that,” Rossi hastily absolved himself. “He was in charge of making arrangements at the hotel.”

“Okay,” Emma accepted his explanation. “To continue, Blake has been talking with James on the phone, and he is making plane reservations for her to join him in Boston. She’ll be on the first flight out of McCarran. Garcia and Kevin, meanwhile, are going back to their respective hotel rooms where they will be contacting their respective ‘Significant Others’. Although – “ she paused.

“What?” Rossi asked, concerned.

“I get the impression that Penelope’s relationship with Sam isn’t going exactly smoothly,” Emma confided. “And, I am pretty sure that earlier this evening I saw her exchanging contact information with Chad.”

“Chad? The guy who was with Bear?” Rossi was instantly on alert. “What do we know about this Chad?”

“Relax, Dave,” Emma laughed. “He is Double D’s son. He can’t make up his mind whether or not he wants to take over his father’s motorcycle shop, so he is also working with Bear, helping out in his property management business. He really is quite an intelligent young man. Although, you may want to check things out for yourself when you call Penelope tonight for your usual ‘Good Night’ chat. You do know that she really looks forward to that, don’t you?”

“As do I,” Rossi replied. “There are nights I don’t know what I would do without her.”

“Maybe you should give that some thought,” Emma suggested seriously. “But, to continue, I suspect that Chief Cruz and Agent Mitchell will be getting together to coordinate their reports. Afterwards, I would assume they will be adjourning to the nearest bar. Who knows where they will end up after that? You and Derek are scheduled to ‘Batch It’ with Dad at his house, while Spencer will be spending the night on the couch in his mother’s room at Bennington. With Moira having been in the area, he wants to check for himself and make sure Dr. Diana is safe.”

“Okay, everyone accounted for, except you,” Rossi observed. “Where are you going?”

Emma smiled. “Dave – This is Las Vegas,” she reminded him. “There is always an empty bed somewhere.”

“Are you really sure you want to do this?” Rossi sounded resigned.

“I don’t feel like I have any choice,” Emma’s smile had disappeared. “I’ve tried to be a wife to him, but I can’t compete with a ghost. And, as long as Spencer still has Maeve on his mind, that’s what I’m doing.”

“Are you sure – About Maeve I mean?” Rossi asked.

Emma took a deep breath. “During that night we spent together on the desert, he woke me up in the middle of the night moaning and calling for her,” she explained sadly. “And, I know for a fact that if the crime lab checks his trousers they are going to find something more than just debris from the desert on them.” She modestly averted her eyes.

“More than - ?” Rossi puzzled for a moment. “OH!”

“Yeah,” Emma said. “It’s time for me to cut my losses and walk away. That’s life and I may not like it, but I need to accept it.”

“I’ll miss you,” Rossi confessed.

Emma smiled sadly at him. “I’ll keep in touch,” she promised. “Maybe not right away, but you’ll hear from me – I promise!”

“And, I’ll give Will Reid a call in a couple of days,” she added. “He’s a good man and he deserves an explanation.”

She walked towards one of the bikers who was getting on his motorcycle and preparing to leave. “Are you headed back to Vegas?” she asked him.

“Yes,” he told her. “Need a ride?”

Emma smiled at him. “I sure do, thanks,” she replied. “You have a spare helmet?”

Emma was talking animatedly with the man as she donned the helmet and, as Rossi watched, the bike slowly pulled away and headed down the highway.

“An IQ of 187 and my son is still an idiot!” the voice sounded from next to him.

“Have patience,” Rossi counseled as he turned towards the upset father. “Sometimes you just don’t realize what you have until it is gone.”

 

**To Be Continued . . .**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I hope your 2015 is everything you are hoping for. Next, I want to thank everyone who took the time to read this story and send either Kudos or Comments. You are the people who light up a writer's life. Finally, I want to assure everyone that I am not planning on leaving the Reid/Emma storyline hanging. I want to start out the new year with a new story, and I am planning on doing that shortly.
> 
> Again, a big Thank You to everyone!!!


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